The Ninety-Nines® is the International Organization of Women Pilots that promotes advancement of aviation through education, scholarships and mutual support while honoring our unique history and sharing our passion for flight.
In January, where we are lucky enough to fly
Letter from the Chair
Chair Message, February 2024
Greetings from the sunny central coast!
January weather certainly gave us mixed messages - sunny, blue skies one week, followed by rain, clouds, fog and wind, then back to blue skies and sun. I am happy to be on the Central Coast when my friends in the Midwest share their photos and stories of snow, ice, and freezing rain!
At our January meeting, we had fun reminiscing about the past year and dreaming about the next. We did a lively exercise(see below) to identify and share our Goals, Glimmers, and Gifts. Our combined accomplishments in 2023 are impressive and unique. Our goals, dreams, and crazy aviation ideas are inspiring and individual. And, with the gifts we have to share, we are well equipped to support each other, and our chapter, to achieve awesome aviation achievements in 2024. What are your Goals, Glimmers, and Gifts? We would love to hear them and add them to the list.
Last weekend six SLO 99s travelled to Sacramento to participate in the Southwest Section Ninety-Nines Winter Workshop. Topics covered included: How to Host a Section Meeting(timely since we are hosting the Fall Section Meeting, September 20-22), and How to Keep Chapters Viable, presented by our own Susan Conner-Steeb. There were many valuable take-aways, but my favorite part of Section gatherings is meeting new people, renewing friendships, and hearing what other chapters are doing. We brought back many ideas to share and see what fits with our chapter.
A quick reminder, with so many new pilots in North County, our February meeting will be held Saturday, February 3, 11:30 AM, at the Paso Robles Airport Terminalin the upstairs meeting room. Steve Ells will present about Owner Maintenance of your Aircraft, and we’ll follow the program with a short meeting. Bring a brown bag lunch or pre-order a carry out lunch from the One-Niner Diner. Several of us plan to fly-up. Let me or Grace know if you plan to fly or would like to fly along. To make sure we have enough seats in the room, please rsvp to:
I look forward to seeing you in Paso and cheering you along your 2024 aviation journey!
See you at the airport,
Dana
Is it Exciting to Become a Pilot?
This picture says it all. Rachel Hamann, just passed her checkride!
January Fly-Out to Harris Ranch
By Grace Crittenden
The hardest part of planning fly-outs is anticipating the weather. NOAA weather predictions are remarkably reliable. Looking at the weather outlook before our last meeting, flying weather was promising for Saturday, but it looked like a front would be moving through for the fly-out planned for Thursday. Knowing that we had a good chance to fly Saturday, we decided to head for Harris Ranch.
Three planes were ready to fly Saturday morning. There was potential for valley fog so Paso was planned as an alternate. Winds were calm, and the air was clear under a thin high overcast. We could see the snow in the Sierras as we reached 5500 feet. Puffy low clouds rested over Atascadero and north of Paso, but the Paso airport was clear. The hills ahead were slightly green and velvety in the soft hazy sunlight. Coalinga and Harris Ranch runways were easy to spot with good visibility in the area, though there was a defined layer of haze below 2000 feet in the valley.
Susan and Eric Steeb took off last but with their new higher performance engine were the first to land. They were waiting in the dining room while their passenger, Dave Boyd, waited for us to touch down and walked in with us. Elizabeth Dinan and Liz Ruth flew with me, and Alex McGill and Lauren Beeler were in Dana Davis’ Grumman. With the winds calm, we landed on 34.
Happy faces on a chilly day
The waitress was good natured and handled the crowd with good humor. With more than enough food, everyone needed a box to take home left overs. The skies were dark and ominous to the north and we knew rain was coming, so we did not linger.
By the time we were ready to take off, the slight wind was favoring 14. With clear still air, my team decided to do a little sightseeing on the way home and detoured a bit to the south to fly over Lake Lopez. The other planes were delayed by an incoming pilot who appeared to be confused about his location relative to the airport.
As predicted the rain moved in Saturday evening and we were all glad to have had a chance to fly on a winter day.
Letter from the Chair
Is it Exciting to Become a Pilot?
January Fly-Out to Harris Ranch
February Flyout to Paso Robles
99’s Name Badges Available