Eagle's Lair
Members Roster

December 30, 2006

Ladies & Gentlemen:

In spite of a reduced work party attendence this weekend due to the end of the year activities, a lot was accomplished on the North American Eagle.™   John Drury, Jon Higley,  Rob Martinson, Bill Eckberg, Steve Wallace, Tim Finley, Keith Zanghi and Ed Shadle braved the snow covered ground and spent the day working on several tasks.

Special guests this weekend were Lauren Wallace and her friend, Justin. 

Caveman Coffee which operates several Latte’ stands in the Spanaway – Puyallup area donated a Carpenter School Bus to the project.  The 40 passenger vehicle had been sitting for some time and was in need of a good washing.  John, Ed, and Keith slipped on the snow shoes and proceeded to bring the school bus yellow to shinny clean appearance.  Mechanically and cosmetically the bus is in excellent shape.  In the next few months the vehicle will be painted NAE™ Red and will be outfitted with several enhancements to meet the demands of the upcoming year.  This will be a valuable asset to the project and the team thanks Caveman Coffee for their generous donation.

Earlier in the week, Ed, Steve and Keith had a conference call with Dassault Systemes and outlined our upcoming appearance in Las Vegas.  Details will be released soon, but it will be another exciting event, similar to the fantastic PCB Piezotronics Display at this year Aerospace Testing Expo 2006 in Anaheim.

John, Rob and Bill removed the travel axle and set the car on blocks in preparation of work that will begin after the first of the year. Steve and Tim began mapping out their plans for the electrical system.

James Bittner, Senior Sales Engineer from Olympus NDT (Non Destructive Testing) came by and demonstrated some of their excellent NDT equipment.   Combining NDT Eddy Current Equipment and iPlex Olympus Borescopes, James was able to snake the borescope deep into the 56 foot long Eagle and provide NDT Eddy Current Testing of structures, while viewing it on a portable LCD display. Bill was able to direct James to several locations and inspect key components for structural integrity. In the past, a time consuming engine removal would have been necessary to perform the same function. 

Used by the largest Aerospace, Government and Military Contractors, this equipment will be vital when record runs commence and visual inspection between runs is needed. Along with NDT Eddy Current and Borescopes, Olympus Industrial is supplying iSPEED HG high speed video cameras to analyze the parachute opening events.  If you would like a demonstration or more information on these amazing tools, contact James Bittner at Olympus NDT.

Team North American Eagle™ wishes everyone a happy new year. United States readers can look for us on The Discovery Channel in early January when the Dugald Maudsley directed Mega Builders – Worlds Fastest Wheels is aired three different times. The one hour television documentary follows the team during preparations for our first ever test runs. Check your local listings for exact times.

Happy New Year Everyone!

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