New Blood

[Alan Coats]

Hello, Guys.

I have recently been bitten by the gyro bug. While looking for information I became aware of the PRA. I looked up the home page, found some contacts in my part of the country, and sent them e-mails. Two weeks later I have not received any replies. GyroRon suggested that I post a message on this forum to see if I can get a response.

I live in northern Oklahoma. I am right between Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Wichita, KS. If any of you live in that area and would be interested in helping me get started, please e-mail me.

Thanks,
Alan

[chuter]

Hi Alan,

I live in OK City. I'm close to test-flying my gyro. We have another one here in town that is currently test flying, and there are rumored to be a few more interested souls around here.

We're trying to get some interest up to have occasional get togethers. Send me an email. :cool:

[Alan Coats]

Chuter,

Thanks for the quick reply.

I am interested in building/buying a GyroBee. We have two brothers here in Ponca who have designed a helicopter with counter-rotating blades. They have built and successfully flown an r/c version of it, and are now building a pair of full-size versions.

Alan

[Rotornut]

Michael, Lets get a New Chapter Started. Would be Great. Some Good News at this point would be a good incentive for Me! MJ :)

[Dean_Dolph]

Alan, Mary Jane is right, start a new chapter! It only takes 5 PRA members in order to petition the PRA for a charter.

[PW_Plack]

...but don't send the petition to them by e-mail! ;)

[paulp]

Mike,

Sounds like a good idea. We've got enough folks here in the OKC area and I think enough interest.

By the way Alan, if you come to OKC, give me a call. There are 2 RAF's @ Guthrie.

[nitchgyro]

I'd be willing to join a local chapter here in OK. Alan, I've been to the Ponca City fly-in breakfast a few times. I'll try to make the September fly-in (in a fixed wing) and we can talk gyros.

Lance Nitschke

http://members.cox.net/thenitch/
http://www.flyenid.com/

[Alan Coats]

Thanks, guys. I am excited to find that there are other rotor-heads in the area. Maybe we CAN get a PRA chapter together. This forum has been a fantastic source of info already, and I'm sure I'll get plenty more info from it, but talking face-to face, and seeing your machines in person would be great.

Alan

[chuter]

Hey Lance, when is the Ponca fly-in?

[chuter]

Oh yeah, Alan, I forgot to mention in my email to you that RAF has a facility in Seminole OK.

[gyroplanes]

...but don't send the petition to them by e-mail! ;)
I prefer to be contacted by e-mail.

[Rotornut]

Tom, I just notice you have PRA Chapter Co-Ordinator on your signature.
I am interested in what this positions function is. I am not trying to be smart and yeah I could look it up myself. But I want to know how you see your Position and what you feel it means.

Will you make it over to ROC?

MJ :)

[Chuck Roberg]

Mj,

Tom posted about chapter coordinator in this thread.

http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1589&highlight=milton

Hope this helps.

[Alan Coats]

The Ponca City Aviation Booster's fly-in breakfast is held the first Saturday of every month. They serve a great breakfast for $5, and there are usually some very interesting planes there. Last time there was a WACO biplane that had been scratch-built from a set of factory plans. Please let me know if any of you are going to be there, and I will meet you there.

Alan

Alan

[chuter]

Alan,
That's labor day weekend, will they still have it?

[Rick Whittridge]

Welcome aboard Alan, Making contact with people in your area is the best way to exchange ideas, training, building gyros , & having fun with others with the same interest. I hope that you can get a Chapter togehter in your area. We need NEW BLOOD in our sport !

Good Luck & keep us all posted on your contacts & gyro interest ;)

[rfi]

There used to be a chapter here in Oklahoma but it died out. It was based in Bartlesville I think. It faded away before I moved back here (McAlester area) from Albuquerque. I would certainly entertain a chapter here in Okieland.

[chuter]

Anyone interested in starting up and participating in an OK chapter, send me an email and we'll see what we can get started.

You might want to check out the Chapter requirements page on the PRA website. We need a minimum of 5 PRA members, 3 of them would be officers. We would also need a safety committee.

Also need to have 6 chapter meetings a year, and it also says;
"Each Chapter should offer the following:

A meeting place in which to meet and participate in club projects - education and social evenings - showing of movies, slides, etc.
An adequate flying field devoted to rotary wing aircraft - suitable for glider and copter flights - preferably government approved.
Chapters should write and send to Headquarters at least one article a year for publication in Rotorcraft Magazine."

I'm not sure what is meant by "An adequate flying field devoted to rotary wing aircraft - suitable for glider and copter flights - preferably government approved." An airfield devoted to rotary wing aircraft?

Maybe Tom Milton can explain a little. It sounds pretty restrictive but I'm guessing it means just a decent airport? :confused:

I guess what I'm getting at is that this would require some commitment, not just "sure, I'll sign up". And maybe things are a little more slack than I'm reading into it.

[paulp]

Hey,
I'm all for a chapter here in Okieland. I'll donate the use of my hangar @GOK. I think that Guthrie will fit all of the PRA requirements!!!

[Alan Coats]

Count me in, too.

The Aviation Boosters breakfast fly-in is the first Saturday of EVERY month, rain or shine.

Alan

[chuter]

Thanks Paul, we've got at least one location! :D

[donshoebridge]

Guys,

Looking at some of the other chapters in this area, it seems that the trend is to convert the "PRA chapter" to an aviation club because it'll draw a few more people, that and, many members may have fixed wings as well.

If you don't have enough people to start a PRA chapter, you could start out as a club first, and then as membership grows, you can add on the PRA, or even an EAA, ASC, or USUA.

The PRA's airfield description is over complicated. If you guys already have a gyro or two, you know how much runway you need to be safe. But it sounds like GOK is going to be large enough.

[gyroplanes]

From the sound of them I think Igor wrote the Chapter Requirements.

To have a sucessful chapter, you do need a place to fly your rotorcraft.

You need a regular meeting place and should endeavor to have something educational at every meeting.

I don't think any of the PRA chapter requirements are set in stone. We welcome participation.

I will create a chapter start-up kit for the PRA that will give guidelines on how to run a successful meeting and grow your chapter.

The key to a sucessful chapter is teamwork. Sharing the work and making every member a part of the planning and carryout of the club's functions lightens the workload. Remember "this should be fun"

[Rotornut]

Yes and we are Family. Sunstate was given an Angel, with Bud O'Neal getting the club house donated to Sunstate and getting us set up at the Labelle Airport. We have some Wonderful 3rd weekends of each month fly-ins there. Thanks Bud!

Tom, I Need some Advise, as you know we lost our AIR BOSS and I need direction in how to find another to perform this unwanted task. God I Miss Charlie, was looking at some of the pictures we have today :(

Another issue I have is the PRA Website, Geeez Jamie Help! Needs updated!

With cost and overhead of two electric bills each month from two seperate airports Sunstate is going to cut back to 8 newsletter a year. But we are hoping to add some color pics from time to time we hope (fingers crossed)

Thanks for any Help Tom. MJ :)

[nitchgyro]

Count me in. Guthrie seems like it would be a nice central location.

Lance Nitschke

http://www.flyenid.com/
http://members.cox.net/thenitch/

[Alan Coats]

The next Ponca City fly-in breakfast is on Sept 4. They tell me it is held the first Saturday of every month, rain, shine, or holiday. It would be great if all you gyro-heads in the area could come. Fly or tow your machines in - they would get a lot of attention on the flight line. Someone flew a helicopter in last month.

Please e-mail me if you think you can come.

Alan

[donshoebridge]

I was just reminded by Pam Bundy that Tony Stiles lives in Miami, OK. Is that anywhere near you guys?

Some background on Tony... He married the woman that bought GyroTech from Jim Fields a few years ago. GyroTech use to manufacture the HoneyBee. Tony is still very active in gyros and I'm sure he would be interested in a club/chapter. Also, Tony is the guy that does most of the announcing at Mentone each year. Tony is also the guy that donated the Hirth engine to Tim Blackwell for Tim's tractor gyro. Tony is in the process of converting a small Cessna into a gyro, kind of like Ron Herron did with his Cub.

Tony is a very gyro busy guy. Look him up.

[chuter]

Miami is way up in the NE corner of the state. I'm afraid one of the problems we're going to run into is that people who might be interested are so spread out around the state it will be hard for people to be involved.

Maybe just starting out as a more casual club-type group would be better. Maybe there needs to be a central OK group, and those in other parts of the state can have get-togethers in their areas. :cool:

[Alan Coats]

Maybe just starting out as a more casual club-type group would be better. Maybe there needs to be a central OK group, and those in other parts of the state can have get-togethers in their areas. :cool:[/QUOTE]


Michael,

I agree with you. I think that we should make an effort to identify the people in the region who are interested in rotary flying. Then the people who are located near each other can get together and become acquainted as convenient. That way we can develop a support network across the state to help each other out.

Occasionally we could get together to fly at different home fields. If we get enough people interested we could then talk about forming a real club, and chartering it with PRA.

Alan