EAA Chapter 229 - Winter Haven, FL

09/02/2026

Does your stuffed animal dream of flying? ✈️

Last weekend, our Stuffed Animal Flight School enrolled its first class at the new Winter Haven Airport Campus. Kids dropped their furry (and scaly, and axolotl-shaped) pilots off for a night of ground and flight training on the ramp — then came back the next morning to a wall of balloons and a "Congratulations" banner to pick up their newly winged graduates.

Bears, dinosaurs, a Baby Yoda, even Sonic the Hedgehog — all officially checked out. 🐻🦖

Swipe through the photos and read the full recap on our blog: https://eaa229.com/stuffed-animal-flight-school-sends-its-first-class-of-winged-pilots-home/

Ready for the real thing? Ask us about a Young Eagles flight for your young aviator.

Kids dropped their stuffed animals off for ground and flight training at Winter Haven Regional — and picked up newly winged "pilots" the next morning.

08/05/2026

Delta Airlines A&P mechanic Eduardo Guerra gave us a rare look behind the curtain at our August meeting — what actually happens when an international widebody lands and has to turn around fast. Walkarounds, BITE checks, the MEL, ETOPS ("Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim" 😄), and yes — a turkey vulture strike story that stole the show.

Read the full recap: https://eaa229.com/behind-the-walkaround-eduardo-guerra-on-life-as-an-international-airline-mechanic/

Join us next time — first Saturday of the month, Hangar 100, 9:00 AM. ✈️

Delta A&P Eduardo Guerra walked Chapter 229 through BITE checks, MELs, ETOPS, and a few unforgettable turkey vulture strikes at our August meeting.

07/02/2026

Fifty years. Fifty years of safe flying.

We couldn't be prouder to share that two of our own — Norm Isler and Dave Hurd — have each earned the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, the most prestigious honor the FAA gives to a civilian pilot. It recognizes 50+ years of flying safely and mentoring the pilots who came after them.

As Norm put it: "It's a recognition by other pilots saying you did something right — and you did it for 50 years."

That's exactly the kind of flying we celebrate here at Chapter 229. Congratulations, Norm and Dave — from all of us. 👏

📖 Read the full story: https://eaa229.com/fifty-years-aloft-norm-isler-and-dave-hurd-earn-the-faas-highest-pilot-honor/

Two of our own — Norm Isler and Dave Hurd — received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, the FAA's top honor, for 50 years of safe flying.

06/08/2026

What does 24,000 hours teach you about engines that quit? Richard Belford spent a career finding out — and brought six of those stories to our last chapter meeting. The ABC checklist isn't just words on a kneeboard.

Richard Belford — 24,000 hours, CFI-I, MEI, former FAA DPE — shares six engine failures and the FAA ABC checklist that brought him home each time.

05/20/2026

Our members got an inside look at something pretty remarkable this week — Bartow Airport's Remote Digital Tower. Instead of a traditional glass cab perched above the field, controllers work from the ground, watching a live 360° panoramic view of the airport across 15 high-definition screens. The system even switches to thermal camera mode at night.

Here's the part that hits close to home: Gilbert Field is next. A backup tower unit is planned for KGIF, with full remote operations from Bartow expected by April 2027.

Read the full post on our website 👉 https://eaa229.com/inside-bartows-remote-digital-tower-the-future-of-atc-is-already-here/

Next meeting: Saturday, June 6, at 9:00 AM — Hangar 100. Rick Belford will be presenting on off-airport landing sites. Hope to see you there!

EAA Chapter 229 toured Bartow Airport's Remote Digital Tower — a live test of the camera-based ATC system coming to Gilbert Field (KGIF) by April 2027.

05/07/2026

Five trips. Florida to Panama. In a Piper Tomahawk with 108 horsepower, no GPS, and a fuel system that lied to you the whole way.

At our May meeting, Robert Taylor sat down with a chart of Central America and told us how he did it — Cuba airspace, cheesecloth-filtered fuel, 70 mph headwinds, and a feet-vs-meters misunderstanding that ended his Panama business dream on the spot.

Full story on the blog 👇

Robert Taylor flew a Piper Tomahawk from Florida to Panama five times in 1978 with no GPS, no life raft, and a fuel system that made the math sketchy. Here's how he did it.

04/18/2026

This week, EAA Chapter 229 volunteers spent nine days on the ramp at Sun 'n Fun 2026 in Lakeland — running tie-down sales and keeping hundreds of arriving aircraft organized and secure. And yes, one of us may have ended up in a very unique cockpit. 🛩️

Big thanks to everyone who showed up and put in the work. You made us proud.

👉 https://eaa229.com/nine-days-on-the-ramp-eaa-chapter-229-at-sun-n-fun-2026/

Our next monthly meeting is Saturday, May 2, at 9:00 AM — Hangar 100, KGIF Gilbert Field, Winter Haven. Come see us!

EAA Chapter 229 volunteers worked six days at Sun 'n Fun 2026 in Lakeland, FL — selling tie-downs and keeping the ramp running for hundreds of arriving aircraft.

04/10/2026

At our April meeting, Steve and Angie VanCleve shared the story of their rescue flights — hauling shelter dogs from Enterprise, Alabama, to adoptive homes in Central Florida in a 1970 Cessna 182. Close to 30 flights. Hundreds of dogs that were days away from euthanasia. Now living on couches across Central Florida.

And then there's Rosie. But you'll have to read the post for that part.

Full story on the chapter blog 👇
https://eaa229.com/dog-legs-to-alabama-how-steve-angie-are-saving-shelter-dogs-one-flight-at-a-time/

If you love animals and can sit in a back seat for two and a half hours, you might just qualify. 🐶

Seventeen puppies. One 1970 Cessna 182. Two and a half hours each way.

04/08/2026

Meet Dave Hurd and his Glasair II-S, N472SF. 🛩️

In 1991, a BIG BOX arrived at Dave's door — a kit that would take years of evenings and weekends to transform into a flying airplane. Built from fiberglass, powered by a Lycoming O-320, and finished to airworthy standard, N472SF has since logged over 425 hours in the air.

Dave shared his builder's journey with our chapter, and we captured the full story on the website. Check it out 👇

https://eaa229.com/order-placed-at-oshkosh-91-dave-hurds-twenty-two-year-glasair-build/

Dave Hurd ordered his Glasair II SL kit at Oshkosh in 1991. Twenty-one years and eleven months later, N472SF lifted off for the first time. Here's the story of a build, a chapter, and 425 hours aloft.

04/02/2026

✈️ EAA Chapter 229 — Monthly Meeting This Saturday!

Join us this Saturday, April 4, at 9:00 AM at Hangar 100, KGIF — Gilbert Field, Winter Haven, FL.

We have a very special presentation this month! Members Steve and Angie will share the incredible story of how they use their Cessna 182 to rescue innocent puppies and give them a second chance at life. Aviation meets compassion — you won't want to miss this one!

As always, whether you fly, build, restore, or simply enjoy airplanes and aviation — you are welcome to join us!

🐾 Puppies. ✈️ Planes. 🤝 Community.

See you Saturday!

👉 Learn more: eaa229.com