MEMBERS/CHAPTERS IN ACTION
A Permanent Home
Money and muscle help Chapter 13 get a new hangar
GREY LANE, EAA 678269
THROUGHOUT ALL OF EAA Chapter 13’s 50-plus years its members have met in many
places, but never had a permanent chapter home. The most recent meeting spot was Ray
Community Airport (57D) in Ray, Michigan. Two chapter members had adjacent hangars
there, and despite the half-hour commute for most members, the airport seemed like a
good home.
Finding a permanent home was an agenda item for the chapter board for more than a
year. Purchasing a new hangar on the airport was too expensive, but Macomb Airways Inc.
owned a cinder block hangar in need of a lot of repair. The chapter proposed to purchase
half of the building—about 2,700 square feet. After a year of negotiation, Macomb handed
the chapter the keys.
Throughout the process, the chapter had been raising money for its new hangar. Dues
and raffle proceeds helped some, but a large sum came from hosting the EAA Ford Tri-Motor Tour. The chapter provided volunteers for the Tri-Motor’s stop in Detroit each day
for the two weeks the plane was in town. In return, EAA shared a portion of the donations
contributed by the public for each flight. At the end, we had earned more than $6,000
toward our “new home fund.”
