Fly-Out to Lunenburg Municipal Airport:  Weather was our nemesis for the Lunenburg Airport $90 Hamburger Weekend but those who weren't socked in made it and had a grand time.

Presentation at School Field Trip:  The Chapter gave a presentation on EAA and aviation to a school group visiting Maryland Airport.

Tour of College Park Aviation Museum:  We met at the museum for a self guided tour of the museum.  Afterward a tour of the Restoration Shop and discussions with the shop staff about the projects they are working on.  Lunch afterward at the 94th Aero Squadron Restaurant.

MD State Police Aviation Division:  1st Sgt. Scott Richardson discussed the mission, capabilities and training of the MSP Aviation Division.

Andrews AFB Physiological Training Flight:  Two Aerospace Physiologists presented a talk on night physiology, night flying and spatial disorientation.

Instrument Panel Design:  Steve Kautner (a National Air and Space Museum/Paul E. Garber Facility) Instrument panel craftsman, presented a lecture on design, considerations and installation tips for homebuilt aircraft instrument panels.

DaVinci Technologies:  Dr. Gil Crouse demonstrated his Airplane PDQ software, used for initial stages of airplane design and performance.

Icarus Technologies:  Steve Silverman demonstrated hardware and software from his company which provides a solid state attitude indicator using a simple pocket pc.

Bird Strikes in Aviation:  Dr. Carla Dove from the Smithsonian Institution, Museum of Natural History, Bird Identification Lab, presented a lecture on bird strike programs, bird migratory patterns and how birds are identified to help mitigate bird strike events.

Aerobatics:  Greg Dungan discussed all aspects of competition aerobatics, to include training, discipline, maneuvers, the International Aerobatic Club rules, and how to interpret the Aresti aerobatic diagramming system.

Airfield Tire Painting Project:  We gathered over 60 tires off the airfield and painted them safety yellow.  They will be used to mark the edges of the turf strip.

KR-2 Homebuilt Aircraft Presentation:  Bernie Wunder from EAA Chapter 478 in St. Mary's County visited us to present an informative and interesting discussion on the history of the KR-2.  He described methods and modifications he is making during the construction of his aircraft and is recruiting other builders to join the KR-2 "bandwagon."

MD Aviation Administration Briefing:  Ashish Solanki provided a briefing describing all that the MAA does and how they're organized.  He especially focused on the "State of the State"; which described all the different construction and improvement projects being conducted at airports in Maryland.  Also highlighted were the behind-the-scenes actions MAA is taking to respond to the federally imposed ADIZ procedures and the effect they are having on MD airports.

Aircraft Appraisals:  Ron Herold, a Certified Aircraft Appaiser with the National Aircraft Appraiser's Association discussed all things relating to assessing the value of an aircraft.  In particular, he described the value in an appraisal, if they may be necessary, how appraisals are conducted, and what gives an aircraft value.

ADIZ Update:  Jim Carver from the Potomac TRACON explained the Ins & Outs of flying within the ADIZ.  He explained behind-the-scenes actions and plans, and the perspective from an ATC view.  It was informative and beneficial to hear, although a bit discouraging to be reminded of the flying environemnt we face here in the National Capital Region.

Aviation Insurance:  John Sweeney from Falcon Aviation Insurance Agency talked to us about everything insurance.  He got us smart on the aviation insurance industry, what to look for when shopping for policies, what's important, and a behind-the-scenes look at underwriting decisions.

Night Vision Goggles:  An aircrew from the 1st Helicopter Squadron at Andrews AFB visited to brief and demonstrate the capabilities of night vision goggle technology.  We all got to try them on for size and see through the latest in night vision technology being used by the military.  Very cool.  

Kitfoxes to Alaska 2000:  John King and Chuck Tippett from Warrenton, VA made the trip to Indian Head to provide a very enjoyable slide show of a trip to Alaska they took with other pilots they met enroute.  They showed over 700 slides and described their adventure in detail, to include planning considerations, problems encountered and the people they met.

Operation Centennial Angel:  We listened to a talk provided by Lindy Kirkland (Lt. Col., USMC).  Lindy is a Marine One pilot (and EAA Member) who is attempting a U.S. Record on March 16th by landing at 100 runways throughout Virginia in recognition of the Centennial of Flight and with the purpose of raising awareness and funds for Angel Flight East. He is calling this "Operation Centennial Angel."  He discussed the concept for his flight, the planning involved, and support still needed.

The SuperCat:  Steve Caruthers joined us to tell us all about the SuperCat.  The SuperCat is a scaled-down version of the Ag Cat.  He presented a slide show taking us through the construction of his two-time (Oshkosh & Sun-n-Fun) award winning aircraft.  Steve now owns the rights to the plan and supports builders with parts and technical information.  It was a great presentation.  

Flying Marine One:  Lt. Col. Lindy Kirkland (USMC) talked to us about the behind-the-scenes planning and stories as one of the selected few pilots for Marine One.  We found out what it takes to be selected, and the many not-so known missions of Marine Squadron HMX-1, in addition to flying the President.

Designing and Building an Experimental:  EAA Chapter 478 member Steve Grohsmeyer is a test pilot at Patuxent River Naval Air Station.  He designed, built, and test flew an original unlimited aerobatic design aircraft.  He explained his story about this process.  It was very interesting to hear about his exploits and how knowledge, and trial and error experience was translated into a machine he flies regularly.

How GPS Works:  USAF Lt. Col. Gerry Headley presented an informative and interesting briefing on how the GPS satellite constellation system works, a bit of its history, and a look to the future.  We heard some little known facts and had a few laughs in the process.

Radio Control Airplanes and Helicopters:  Roger Vaughn, Dave Fuller and Bob Curran of the Charles County Radio Control Club gave a presentation of radio controlled airplanes and helicopters.  The big hit was Dave's indoor RC helicopter which he put through some amazing paces in the meeting room.

$90 Hamburger Fly-Out to Lunenburg Airport where we were treated to free hamburgers, hotdogs, bratwursts, drinks and aerial prowess demonstrations by a pair of Swallows.

We gathered together for a BBQ and PICNIC:  Had a great time eating, drinking and talking all things aviation.

Hosted two trips to the Paul E. Garber Facility.  Toured the "real" Air and Space Museum where most of the aviation collection resides and all the restoration work is done.

Coordinated a trip to the Andrews AFB Altitude Chamber where brave members went through a full day of aerospace physiology training, and even got their altitude cards.

Sponsored three airport "paint the hangar building" days.  We gave a facelift to the hangar and airport building at Maryland Airport, giving our home a new and bright look.

We finished the year with an enjoyable Christmas Party and ornament exchange.  We filled our bellies with a HUGE assortment of snacks, sweets and drinks.

In July 03 we again had a picnic with a Mexican fiesta theme...an enjoyable time had by all eating great food, solving the metro area ADIZ problems and looking forward to Oshkosh.

Our Chapter voted to sponsor a Christmas tree at our local Jaycees Festival of Trees.  This is an annual fund raiser event at the Waldorf Jaycees, where prominent local community organizations donate decorations and decorate Christmas trees.  These trees are open for public viewing for a donation, then the trees are sold to individuals, businesses and organizations, where the proceeds are used to support the Hospice of Charles County, here locally.

Hosted a Fly Out to Georgetown/Sussex County (GED), Delaware, where we had breakfast at Jimmy's Bistro.  Although it was a windy day, we met a couple folks from EAA Chapter 478 and also several RV builders from "Van Air Force" joined us.

We had a good time at our annual 2003 Christmas party hosted by John and Evelyn Estevez at their home.  This potluck affair was both fun and delicious.  We finished off the evening with an ornament exchange and some recognition to our hardest working members.

In January 04, we hosted a field trip to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, the Dulles Airport Annex for the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum aircraft collection.  We had a crowd of about 15 members who carpooled over to enjoy all that the new facility had to offer.