Eagle's Lair
Members Roster

June 1, 1997

Ladies & Gentlemen:

Rain, Rain Go Away.......

This weekend a large contingent from Seattle headed to Toledo. Not the Toledo of Ohio fame, but a little town just a few miles north of the famous Mt. St. Helens (The Cascade Mountain that blew its top in a huge volcanic explosion, some 17 years ago May 18, 1980). As the North American Eagle™ (NAE) was unloaded, neighbors from around the area started to come out of the woodwork. Word traveled fast of our presence.

Raindrops keep falling on my head....

The primary goal was to tune up the J-79 turbojet. Everything was in control, with the exception of the weather. Five minutes after the parachutes were packed, the deluge started. One of the heaviest rain storms we've seen this year. The rain covered the runway with 1/2 " of rain. There's a rule in Seattle that goes something like.... If you don't want it to rain, better not wash your car!

As the rain came down, a heavy session of bench racing commenced in the NAE covered trailer. Around 2 o'clock the rain stopped and the crew went to work. We fired the car, and tested all systems. Engine throttle response was excellent, and brake test proved successful. Everything checked out well, but then the rains came back. So after another two hour long benchracing session in the trailer, the team decide to pack it up and try again tomorrow. So weather permitting, the NAE™ will be back in Toledo on Monday June 2,1997.

This weekend was definitely a team effort. A special thanks goes out to Al Lapointe of Security Race Products in Renton Washington USA, who literally burnt the midnight oil to sew together our new firesuit with less than two days notice! Talk about turnaround! Al delivered a beautifully tailored firesuit in the NAE™'s red, white and blue colors. Al is one of the teams biggest supporters. He supplies the team with the cars safety belts, firesuits and soon a full line of merchandising apparel.

A special thanks goes to the man and new friend who made the day happen, Mr. Robert Berry II. Bob took time to ensure the team had a place to unload, showed us the layout of the field, and informed us of all the safety concerns. The Toledo airport is an excellent field for testing. The 5000 ft. runway has recently been resurfaced. Runway 23 is 150 ft. wide!

Meg and Velvet from Northwest Cable News were on hand to report the tests. Northwest Cable News is a group of 4 major television stations representing the entire states of Washington and Oregon. They did numerous interviews, and shot a lot of video. The segment was aired later that day, and came out great! Good job ladies!

Weather permitting the team will be at Toledo again tomorrow (Monday June 2). On to Edwards!

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