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...They May Turn Out Like This

An outstanding turn-out of over 30 DAFer's attended May's fly-in to Santa Paula on May 18-20.  Friday evening started with Happy Hour on the patio of the Santa Paula Inn followed by a group dinner at the Familia Diaz restaurant.  On Saturday morning, everyone headed to Santa Paula to board the Murder Mystery train ride.  Just about everyone (except for a certain Canadian-sounding gentleman), got into the mood by dressing up in their finest cowperson gear.  Our group pretty much took over the dining car, where we ate, drank and bore witness to an unfolding drama (and eventual murder!).  Over 16 minutes of high-quality story and acting was crammed into the four-hour train ride. Back home in Santa Paula, another great Happy Hour on the patio, followed by a delicious tri-tip dinner overseen by chief griller Mitch Taylor.  The evening closed with awards given to best costumes (Dan and Lori Delane).  Jerry Stephens' evil twin also accepted an award on behalf of his brother.   A big thanks to Jim and Diana Morino who not only organized the trip, but provided most of the food for Saturday night's dinner.  

joomplu:2568Joe and Mitch with Speaker Nissen DavisThe May dinner meeting was the last DAF dinner meeting at Los Verdes Country Club (beginning in June, our meetings will be held at Palos Verdes Country Club).  The presentation was by Nissen Davis who, alarmed by the high suicide rate among active and recently-discharged veterans, helped organize two inspirational tours among military bases in Europe and the Middle East.  The first group was headed by astronauts Neal Armstrong, Jim Lovell and Gene Cernan; the second included celebrities from the racing world including Mario Andretti.  Attendance at all of the tour stops was standing room only, and seeing the conditions in which our military live and work reminded everyone of the enormous sacrifices these men and women make every day.  

 

joomplu:2459

...and Wings for Doggedly Trying

April's dinner program was a video presentation from Mitch entitled "The Great Circle Air Safari."  Some nice shots of the outback and formation flying - thanks to Jessenia for editing the video down to a manageable length.  

Joe Cogan also made a presentation on the upcoming November trip to Alamos, Mexico.  If you were on the fence regarding this trip, Joe's presentation definitely made the case that this is going to be a unique, fun and relatively easy adventure.

Wings were awarded to Jerry Stephens for his determined efforts to get his medical certification reinstated.  After endless rounds of bureaucracy, Jerry received the FAA's blessing and is now back in the air.  Congratulations, Jerry!

Stormy weather on Friday, April 13 didn't deter a resolute group of DAFers from attending the April Fly-In to Cambria. The weather forced most of those who came up Friday to drive rather than fly. While the pounding rain would have convinced lesser folk to turn back, thoughts of a waiting Happy Hour at Lisa and Curtis' room kept everyone focused on the mission at hand.

Saturday brought much nicer weather and a chance to appreciate the magnificent scenery surrounding our hotel (which was also very nice). By Saturday afternoon, 32 DAFers in 11 cars and 4 aircraft had converged to attend the evening tour of Hearst Castle. After an earlier-than-usual Happy Hour, the group had an excellent dinner at the nearby Manta Rey restaurant and then proceeded to the Castle.

We reached the Castle just before a stunning sunset. Divided into three groups, we toured the pools, guest house and main house. The docents guiding us were quite knowledgeable and entertaining - everyone learned something. (On a personal note, this editor thought the decor was a little spartan. With all that money, you'd think that Hearst could've afforded to 'zazz things up a bit.)

Thanks to Lisa Hahn for all of the planning and organization that went into this. Everyone had a great time.

joomplu:2327...and Name Badge Mystery

For our March dinner meeting, Jack Kenton presented a very interesting photo overview of "100 Years of Naval Aviation".  Jack highlighted quite a few novel aviation prototypes, dating from the early 1900's to near-present day.  Everyone learned a little something and enjoyed Jack's talk (unless you were a USMC aviator - in which case you were the brunt of a few jokes).  Nice job, Jack.  An otherwise perfect evening was flawed by the mysterious absence of the DAFer name badge locker.  Without name badges, people were very confused, and had to resort to calling people "Big Guy" and "Honey".  And as if this wasn't enough, the lack of name badges meant that there would no badge drawing for wine.  When President Joe Cogan made this announcement to the already surly crowd, a near-riot almost ensued.  It was only due to Joe's calming words, along with a promise to award four bottles next month, that disaster was averted.  Unfortunately, none of this was adequately documented due to the incompetance of the substitute photographer for the evening, Larry Chapman.

The gods smiled again on all DAFers as we flew out to Borrego Springs for lunch on March 3.  Twenty-seven people in 11 aircraft made the flight - all experiencing blue skies and gentle winds.  The restaurant was very hospitable and accommodating with everyone seeming to enjoy their meals.  Borrego VideoClick to Watch Borrego Video

Afterwards, many of the participants were called upon be part of the first DAFer feature film - the exclusive preview of which can be found here.  All in all, a very nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  Thanks to Jodie Chapman for putting this together.