Eagle's Lair
Members Roster

July 22, 2006

Ladies & Gentlemen:

This weekend Steve & Libby Wallace, Sean Rondestvedt, Rich Pengelley, Bill Eckberg, Tim Finley, Jon Higley, Ed Drumheller II, John Zambrano, Dave Selby, Keith Zanghi and Ed Shadle braved the 100 degree heat wave and made great progess this weekend on the North American Eagle™.

John, Dave and Ed installed a new flow control valve into the hydraulic steering unit. The change will help us get a more precise adjustments for the steering.

Wallace Labs built an electronic test bench used to simulate the electrical power system onboard the Eagle. Tim, Steve and Rich first mounted one of our spare Bendix Generators and hooked it up to a 110V electric motor. It took several trips to our local hardware stores to figure out the pulley combinations between the two motors, but eventually the team got it done.

The Bendix Generator puts out 220 volts at 400 cycles. Unlike your house which runs on 60 cycles, the Eagle utilizes the higher aircraft power to operate.

The purpose of the equipment was to test a new voltage regulator. The test went well and the team will install it next weekend into the Eagle. Steve's birthday was also celebrated by the team with a beautiful cake his wife, Libby, brought to the hangar.

Bill spent some time in the engine bay. Next weekend he will consolidate our grounding system in the car. The change will give us a more reliable electrical system. Keith installed some quick disconnect plugs for the trailer's 12 volt winch.

Ed II spent most of his time working on Ed Shadle's E Gas Roadster he will be running at this year's Speedweek. Ed II is incorporating the highly reliable parachute deployment bag into the Roadster. It will be the very first time a Roadster has ever used this type of system. For the past three years, Ed II has been testing the system on Ed Shadles 828 Lakester. It is the same system used on the North American Eagle....and every spacecraft ever launched from the Earth. Someday, drag racers will learn the benifits of deployment bag technology and will change over. It is more reliable, safer and less shock to the driver and car.

Earlier in the week, Keith, Ed, Earl Gratzer and John Drury spent the entire day installing a door into our new Eagle Machine, Inc trailer. Steve Green of Eagle Machine, Inc. purchased the trailer late last year. The trailer is IDENTICAL to the LevX / NorWest Trucking trailer. This new trailer is being outfitted as a mobile machine shop complete with a lathe, milling machine, drill press, welder and generator. In addition we will carry a full assortment of fasteners and parts. The previous owner used the trailer to haul automobiles and it still retains the ramps and mounting points on the walls. And just like our trailer used to haul the 56 foot long Eagle, it has an overhead bridge and crane that can be used to pick up the American Valley Aviation M32-60B Start Cart and McVay Mobilizer. The team is looking forward to using this new trailer because it will make us much more efficient in the field.

The trailer is tentatively going to debut at this years Speedweek at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah next month. Ed Shadle and Steve Green are teaming up and will use the trailer to haul their respective cars. NorWest Trucking will be supplying a driver to bring the rig south.

Upcoming Week

On Tuesday Keith and Ed will meet with a National Geographic film crew and shoot some video for an upcoming new show. When details become available we will let you know.

On Friday July 28th, Tim, Bill, Steve, Keith and Bernard McVay will have display booth at the Boeing Frederickson Plant. The team was invited to attend the Boeing Safety Fair, which is held each year. The event features over 50 vendor booths and is free to all Boeing Employees. The team will have on display the LevX / McVay Welding cut-away jet engine; the Olympus i-SPEED 2 high speed video camera to show the Boeing Employees some of the safety features on the 56 foot long Eagle. Next month, the display will be at the Boeing Everett Safety Fair.

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