Last weekend(May 13 & 14) was the Oceano Airport Celebration. Oceano was the first airport I found in San Luis Obispo County. My son and his father spent many hours recovering an Aeronca L-3 in one of those rickety old hangars. We spent almost as much time sitting around a fire pit sharing hangar lies with other pilots. L52 brings back lots of happy memories for me so it was a real treat to spend the weekend at the airport.
Jolie Lucas works tirelessly through the Friends of Oceano Airport to keep the airport open. Every year I mark the date on my calendar and then get busy and miss it. This year I volunteered and was there for almost the entire event. It was wonderful. Friday night the ramp was full, the BBQ'd hamburgers were excellent and the live music played by Leo and the Boyz was great. There was plenty of dancing and free S'mores for the participants. Saturday started with a pancake breakfast, more music, this time from the Leatherwood Morgan duo – the old songs – amazing!! Jolie acknowledged all the veterans in attendance, then started the raffle drawing. Magazine subscriptions(George Kounis from Pilot Getaways Magazine was in attendance so watch for an article!), DVD's of 16R, sweatshirts, caps, backpacks, etc. lots of good things were given away. The event ended with JR Smith in his Stearman and a wingwalker. The wind was blowing too hard for her to do her regular routine, but it was fun to see her waving on the wing.
Most remarkable of all though, was the help given at the end of the afternoon. Many of the pilots who flew in stayed to help with the clean up, which is always the worst part of any event. In no time at all everything was in it's place, the trash was cleaned up and the airport was back to normal. The camaraderie of pilots has always been one of the things that sets us apart. Everyone pitches in to get whatever job needs doing done!
Minutes of General Meeting
By Grace Crittenden
The meeting[May 4, 2016] started with hangar talk and happy chatter around the table. The first order of business was a presentation of an essay by Emma DeBrum as a candidate for a Discover Flight. By consensus she was offered an introductory flight with Pacific Aerocademy.
Next we reviewed the bylaws and standing rule changes proposed for the International Ninety-Nines meeting this summer, and again it was a unanimous vote in favor of the changes. As no one from the chapter is planning to attend, we will look to find someone to take our delegate authorizations.
FAAST meeting are scheduled every other month in Santa Maria. This month will be[was on May 18]“17 ways to fall out of the sky”[the next one will be in September after the summer break, The Ed.]
We will plan to have a booth at the Oceano Airport Celebration on May 14.
The discussion turned to dispersing some of our funds.
The decision was made and once more unanimously approved to send $500 to the Women’s Museum of Flight, $500 to the Amelia Earhart Scholarship fund, and $500 to the Ninety-Nines Foundation. Remaining funds will be available to sponsor Discover Flights or used for a scholarship.
We would like to plan some fun activities for the chapter to do together. One of the suggestions is to arrange a mid-week fly-out to Vandenberg.
It is time for changing or re-electing officers and the topic will be addressed at the next meeting.
Ellen Was Back in Town
By Charly Schaad
Last Thursday(May 26) our former local member, Slipstream contributor(“Tips from the Tower”), and long-time tower controller, Ellen Banakis was back in town for a few days. About eight of us met her at the Spirit for lunch and some catching up. Ellen now lives in the Denver area and is gleefully spending a lot of time taking care of her brand new grandchild. Although directing air traffic is no longer part of her routine, she still loves to talk aviation and it was really nice to hear her voice again, even if it will no longer come through our headsets.
Dates and Schedules
Comments, corrections, and suggestions are welcome. Fly-outs: any dates are flexible and we will confirm plans and set times at the chapter meeting before the scheduled fly-out. Seats will be available for non-pilots, students, and pilots without wings. We want every seat to be filled, so let us know if you want to come along.
Chairman’s Message
Minutes of General Meeting
Ellen Was Back in Town
Dates and Schedules