January 8 was a beautiful day here on the Central Coast. The air was clear and calm and the sun was bright. We had planned a flight to Oxnard with the intention to find lunch near the airport, but once again crazy winds at our destination changed our plans. The Santa Ana off-shore winds were howling south of Santa Barbara, so we decided to enjoy the lovely weather here and stay in the area. Oceano is always a fun place to land and we know the food there is always good. Maggie Temler and my regular traveling companion, Kay, hopped in my plane.
Kay’s feeling A.O.K.
Maureen Sherwood was ready to go in her Super Cub with Charice Henderson, and Dana Davis flew with her husband, Tim, in her Grumman Cheetah. Robin Shatto left her plane in the hangar and arrived by car because driving took less time from her home than going to the airport and getting her plane out. Besides she had had a nice long cross country flight the day before.
As anticipated, It was a beautiful on the patio at Old Juan’s and the food was great as usual. It was a fun afternoon close to home.
Maggie and I took the long way home and flew north along the coast for a little sightseeing before we headed back to KSBP.
New Cuyama News(L88)
By Grace Crittenden
Recently I had a phone call from Steve Sappington. He is taking an active role in coordinating and planning the workdays at the New Cuyama airport and gave me an update on the progress. The airstrip has been a wonderful destination for pilots for years but now it is officially closed and in need of attention and repairs.
The runway at New Cuyama was built in the 1950s and is currently 4000 feet long and 60 feet wide. The New Cuyama Buckhorn Hotel and restaurant is just a short walk from the airstrip and the property and the airstrip are owned by a nonprofit Blue Sky Center and currently managed by Em Johnson. These days the airstrip is used by crop dusters for local agricultural interests. Occasionally the County Sheriffs’ helicopter lands there for lunch and CalFire wants to use it from time to time.
Because the property is privately owned, there are no sources for public funding for upkeep. There have been volunteer work days recently organized by Em Johnson and Steve Sappington. They have collaborated with some of the local farmers and the Buckhorn and some out-of-town pilots. Plans are in the works for a volunteer work day in the spring. Even though the strip is officially closed, the FAA has no jurisdiction and we can land there. Steve flies his Cessna 182 in but is careful to land in the middle third of the runway where the tarmac is in the best shape.
New Cuyama L88 on December 5, 2020 - freed from the shrubbery that formerly took over the runway
The asphalt is cracked and crumbling. Steve has tried using some cold patch but it is expensive and does not hold well because the surrounding surface is breaking down. There are four options for repair. Each level is more expensive. One is to change to a gravel strip. Another is to continue with patch repair or a slurry seal, but these solutions are only temporary because the deep cracks allow movement of the base. The next option is recycled asphalt where the surface is ground off and reapplied to the base. The most expensive and the top of the line is new asphalt. Currently the plan is to get bids for the recycled asphalt. CalTrans is offering some advice and input. To save some money, there is consideration to shorten the runway to 3000 feet but it will stay at 60 feet wide. The safety zone around the airstrip has been recently tilled but needs to be compacted and of course will need regular mowing.
The Blue Sky Center has limited resources. They do have a tractor but no working mower. They also have a big spray rig but no one who knows how to use it to spray the weeds. There is a pilot donor in the wings who has expressed interest in the project and may be able to help financially.
It looks like there is lots to do and there are energetic people coming together to make things happen at the New Cuyama Airport. If some of us are interested in helping, we can drive to the work day. Some of us with a tail-dragger and big wheels can check out the runway conditions, and maybe we could stay the night and party a little.
More details and dates to follow!
Minutes of the General Meeting(January 5, 2022)
By Anele Brooks
Location: ACI Jet Center and on Zoom
Attending: Jill Drexhage, Elizabeth Dinan, Grace Crittenden, Rachel Hamann, Maggie Temler, Janice Odell, Theresa Theiler, Maureen Sherwood, Alessandra Rizzo, Emmie Smith, Taya Ambrose, Liz Weaver, Dana Davis, Anele Brooks. Via Zoom: Susan Steeb, Jolie Lucas, Kathy Dannecker, Erin Ayers.
Jill called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. The primary agenda was the topic of fundraising. The funds we raised when we hosted the Southwest Section Meeting in the Fall of 2019 have been used for scholarships, ACI has donated $3,.000 per year for the past 3 years. We awarded $6,000 in 2019 and $5,000 last year in scholarships. In order to continue awarding them we need to generate income. The letter to ACI requesting a donation is going out again. The letter can be modified for other entities who may be interested in making a donation. It does not have a specific amount listed on it, but does list the scholarship totals. Theresa suggested we combine the total so the amount is larger and the expectation is larger for the donor. Dana will keep a list of who has been solicited and we need to let Janice know if they request a 501(c)3 letter for tax purposes.
Theresa Theiler asked“What is a ton of money?” according to our chapter. Jill asked for fundraising ideas. It was suggested we do seminars. Susan said that San Luis Obispo is a“destination” and we could pull pilots in from out of the area. Our challenge is we don't have a fixed location for the seminars, we would need to find a location, speakers, etc. and deal with COVID. Susan mentioned that the Ventura County 99s host a pancake breakfast for the volunteers at the Camarillo Air Show and charge $1 per pancake. We could try to do something similar at the Santa Maria Airfest in October. We could possibly host it at the Museum of Flight and also coordinate with the Santa Maria 99s. Anele brought up the“Eat, Fly and be Merry” fundraiser sponsored by the Eastern Pennsylvania 99s. It cost $20 to participate and participants could fly to an airport/restaurant or could drive to an airport restaurant. The fundraiser was open for 30 days, participants were entered into a drawing and were awarded prizes. Participants did not need to be pilots. The award drawings were held on both Facebook Live and Zoom, so COVID concerns were not an issue. We decided due to COVID that we would pursue a similar fundraiser to be held sometime in the near future. Susan also suggested Elizabeth speak at a dinner at the Estrella Warbird Museum and that we ask for donations after the talk.
Elizabeth brought in a mirror with an etching of Amelia Earhart on it, we can use it as a prize for one of our fundraisers. We will also ask local businesses for donations of cash or products to be awarded.
Grace gave a report on upcoming Fly-outs. The January 8 fly-out will be to Oxnard Airport[ended up being Oceano, see report above, the ed.]. There are several Japanese and Mexican restaurants close. Grace will be the point of contact for where and when to meet. Santa Ynez is on the calendar for February 12 or 13 depending on the weather[Valentine’s day fly-in, the ed.]. We will be coordinating with the Ventura 99s. Grace is thinking about a fly-out to Santa Maria or to Paso Robles to tour the Estrella Warbird Museum. She also brought some items to give away: a Pan Am Clipper plate, the movie Flying the Ragged Edge, a book The Great Circle about a woman pilot and an AOPA pilot magazine.
There was a brief discussion about the WINGS Program. It requires three flights and three ground school classes. The flight instructor validates the flying portion and the pilot is issued a certificate verifying the requirements for 14 CFR Part 61.56.
It was also announced that the Winter Workshop that was going to be held at Knott's Berry Farm has been changed to an on-line program.
Dates and Schedules
Date
Event
First Wednesday of the Month
Monthly General Meeting(first Wednesday of each month)
Fly-Out to Oceano L52 (Jan 9)
New Cuyama News (L88)
Minutes of the General Meeting (January 5, 2022)
Dates and Schedules