Eagle's Lair
Members Roster

October 7, 2006

Ladies & Gentlemen:

Today Ed Shadle, Keith Zanghi, Jon Higley, Bill Eckberg, Ed & Barbara Drumheller, Bernard McVay, Von Armstrong, Rich Pengelley and John Winchester showed up at the hangar to begin more modifications to the NAE™ in preparation for next month.

Ed Shadle met Nick Nesland of Hydraulic Repair and Design at the hangar at nearly the "crack of dawn" this morning to begin the hydraulic assessment. Shortly after Jon Higley arrived, Bill Eckberg and Rich Pengelley rolled up. For two hours after that, Bill and Nick went over the existing hydraulic system configuration and assessed what needed to be done. Von Armstrong snuck in the back door sometime after that.

Not long after Bill and Nick began, Bernard McVay, the team welder, showed up with Sparky and Grizzley; the two Pomeranian dogs. Bernard's task today was to make improvements to the loading ramp alignment and begin building brackets for adding a hydraulic ram to the outer bar of the loading mechanism in the trailer. This will provide flexibility for positioning the NAE™ as it's being unloaded.

Once the assessment by Bill and Nick was complete, Bill, Jon and Rich began pulling the orbital valve in the front of the cockpit used to control hydraulic fluid for steering. It will be taken to Hydraulic Repair & Design in Puyallup, WA to be bench tested so a baseline is established for setting the steering system pressure. They also pulled old aluminum hydraulic lines for the steering and brakes to be replaced with stainless steel lines.

Near the middle of the day's activities, Ed Drumheller II and his wife, Barbara, arrived. Ed Drumheller II is training John Winchester, a friend of Ed's, to take over the production and care of the car's parachutes. John's new team member biography page will be up on the team page soon.

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