The fly-out crew in Salinas 6/11 in Aubrey’s hangar, in front of his T6, under the 185’s wing
The mission of The Ninety-Nines is to promote the advancement of aviation through education, scholarships, and mutual support while honoring their unique history and shared passion for flight.
Chairman’s Message
By Dana Davis
Greetings Fellow Flight Enthusiasts,
The first half of 2022 has been beautiful, filled with fly-outs, scholarships, aviation learning and camaraderie. As we begin planning for the second half of the year, there are many exciting events ahead.
The Ninety-Nines International Conference begins on Wednesday, July 6, with the Annual Meeting on Saturday, July 9. Last year the organization approved a one member, one vote policy, so all members can vote on all issues being considered at the Annual Meeting. You should have received information on how to get credentialed to vote and training videos on how to participate. Please let me know if you haven’t received the information or have any questions.
Mark your calendars for September 17! The SLO 99s will be hosting“WINGS” over SLO: Pilot Proficiency Training Workshops. Our Scholarship Fundraising committee has been hard at work pulling together this training event to meet our mission to“….promote the advancement of aviation through education, scholarships, and mutual support while honoring our unique history and sharing our passion for flight.” We will need all hands on deck September 17 to make this event a success.
I look forward to seeing all of you at our next meeting, July 6, at ACI Jet Conference Room. Meet at 5:30 for social time and 6:00 for the meeting. The Spirit of San Luis is now open for dinner on Wednesdays if you would like to eat before the meeting or get carry out and bring it with you.
Happy flying,
Dana
Dues are Due!
Annual dues for the SLO 99s are now due
Dues: $20 for all full members of The Ninety Nines, Inc.
Make checks payable to: San Luis Obispo Co. 99s
Please bring your dues to the meeting or send them to:
San Luis Obispo Co. 99s
Treasurer
P.O. Box 5214
San Luis Obispo, CA 93403
[see also the constantly updated list of upcoming dates at the bottom of this newsletter, the ed.]
RIP Dorothy Rooney 1918-2022
By Elizabeth Dinan
Dorothy Rooney left us to fly her favorite plane, the T-6 on April 24. She was 103 and would have celebrated her 104 birthday June 27. As a youngster, she was awed by the airplanes flying overhead and after graduating high school worked hard to earn money for flight lessons. She trained in an open cockpit biplane and had her first solo at 18.
When World War 2 broke out, she applied and was one of the few chosen for service with the Women Airforce Service Pilots(WASP). She was first in her class to solo and served as a maintenance test pilot flying planes after they had been repaired to make sure they were fully ready to fly.
In 2009 the WASP were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and Dorothy and the other WASP received their medals at a ceremony held in March 2010 at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
I met Dorothy about 20 years ago when I was instructing at Air San Luis. She came in the office and asked if we had a female flight instructor. I said"I'm here". We started talking and she said she would like to go fly,"to see if the magic was still there". I asked when and she said now. We went up in a C 152 and after she got in, she asked why the rudders were so small. She was used to flying the T-6, P-51, bombers, etc. Lucky her.
At first she did not want to fly the C 152 but by the time we returned she was at the controls. We landed and she said"the magic is still there." After that we flew about once a month and had great fun.
Chairman’s Message
Dues are Due!
RIP Dorothy Rooney 1918-2022