Note from editor: thanks to everyone who contributed — this is a great group and its fun to celebrate us!
Letter from the Chair
By Dana Davis
Happy New Year!
I hope you are as excited for a new year, a new beginning, a new slate as I am. 2023 was great, and I ended on a high point, landing at my 19th and 20th new airports for 2023 last Thursday, December 28th. I slipped into Elk Hills-Buttonwillow(L62), and Taft-Kern County(L17), just in the nick of time. I had been sitting on 18 new airports since August 6—our last stop on the trip home from Oshkosh, when we had brunch at Apple Valley(KAPV). After that trip, when I saw that I was at 18, I thought,“Wouldn’t it be great to hit 20? A nice, round number.” Somehow, those last two new airports were elusive. They weren’t high enough on the list, until I was almost out of time to achieve the goal - until it was now or never. This, of course, was not a life or death event, it was just a personal challenge, between me and myself. But it serves to make me think about what my flight, and life, goals will be for 2024, and how will I prioritize them for success? And, what are our goals for the SLO 99s in 2024, and how do we make sure we achieve them?
What are your big aviation goals for 2024? Get your PPL? Add a new rating? Earn a flight training scholarship? Fly to Oshkosh? Jump out of an airplane? Fly some big, fancy, fast jet? Retire and set a new course? Inspire someone else in their flight journey? Just have some fun?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and dreams for the upcoming year at our meeting on Wednesday. We will spend a little time basking in the glow of our accomplishments from 2023, think about our plans for 2024, and catch up on the calendar of events already in place. One big priority for us will be the Fall 2024 Southwest Section Meeting we will host September 18-22(get the dates on your calendar now!). We will need all of our members to join in to help our group be successful. I look forward to planning, flying, and making our dreams and goals come true in 2024!
See you at the airport!
Dana
500 hours! Yay!
500 and Counting!
By Susan Conner-Steeb
What a year for our plane Dallas Faye! We started with new avionics from Cutting Edge Avionics in Calaveras County, flew to Salinas in March to discuss the new paint scheme at T&P Aero Refinishers, got her back in June in time for Oshkosh, dropped her off in Ada Oklahoma for a new engine, tip tanks and turbo boost at Tornado Alley on our way home, Flew her to St. Louis for a new windshield in November then back to Ada for a few engine touchups. All the while, I had a goal of reaching 500 hours of flying, The several cross countries helped but she was down a good part of the year. I added up my flight book in December and I was close. We headed for LA on Christmas day to enjoy family and I hit 499.6! Ugh! So Erik and I did a short hop on 12/28 over to Paso and around Morro Bay rock and back to push me over 500! What a year for Dallas Faye and for me. I look forward to 2024. We'll finish up with a new paint job, new tail number and hopefully an IFR rating!
Beautiful day at Paso
December Fly-Out to Paso Robles
By Grace Crittenden
We have had a tradition of making Paso our destination for December. It is not too far away so its is not too much of a time commitment at such a busy time of year, and we can drive if the weather interferes. It’s an opportunity to meet up with the Paso pilots that we might not see otherwise, and we always have fun at the One Niner Diner.
This year we had perfect weather. Three planes flew in from KSBP and we were joined by several Paso locals. There were 10 Ninety-Nines and 2 Forty-Nine and Half’s - a lively gathering with lots of happy talk and laughter. The restaurant staff was so accommodating, and the food was good.
A good crowd at the One Niner Diner
Lauren and Jessica in front of Janice’s Bonanza
It was such a lovely day for flying that we decided to take the long way home so we could do some sightseeing over Morro Bay and along the coast. The ocean was truly pacific, shining like glass, and the air was so clear, we could see all the way to Cambria and south to Point Sal.
Another fun fly-out filled with lots of big smiles!
SLO 99’s Scholarship Info
By Maureen Sherwood
Happy New Year, our SLO 99s chapter just submitted an application for one of our chapter members for an 2024 Ninety-Nines Amelia Earhart flight training scholarship.
For those of you who are planning to work on additional pilot certificates/ratings or pursue an academic degree in aviation, please be aware of scholarship opportunities. The first step is to join the Ninety-Nines International organization if you are currently a student pilot or higher. This is the website: https://www.ninety-nines.org/.
The next AE scholarship application deadline is January 1, 2025 and you must have been a Ninety-Nines member for one calendar year prior to application. Join today if you are considering applying for a 2025 AE scholarship which is up to $20,000 for either flight training or aeronautical academic education.
If you are either a student pilot now or planning to start flight lessons, consider this scholarship through the Ninety-Nines and join now if you want to apply for a First Wings scholarship by April 1, 2024.
Letter from the Chair
500 and Counting!
December Fly-Out to Paso Robles
SLO 99’s Scholarship Info