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Our February Fly-in was a complex operation, with airport transportation, a buffet lunch, and tours of the Mission Inn all combined with uncertain weather. The DAF came through with flying colors (or in some cases, driving colors), with more than 35 people arriving at the Inn on time for the buffet lunch (with some amazing desserts!). Peter did yeoman's work as chauffer, shuttling the people who made the flight from the airport to the Inn. Our tour guides were extremely knowledgable about the long and varied history of the Mission Inn, and provided an excellent perspective on the Inn and it's guests. Many thanks to Liz and Peter for all their work.

Pancho BarnesThe January dinner meeting's presentation featured a documentary which chronicled the thrilling life and extraordinary times of aviation pioneer Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes, an accomplished pilot and entrepreneur of the early 20th Century. In the 1920s and 30s, Barnes broke Amelia Earhart's air-speed record and became Hollywood's top woman stunt pilot. In the 1940s and 50s, she owned and operated the famous "Happy Bottom Riding Club", a fly-in resort located near Edwards Air Force Base and immortalized in the book and film "The Right Stuff." The award winning documentary gave great insight into the life of one of the most colorful and accomplished women pilots of the early 20th Century. Thanks to Larry Chapman for editing and setting up the program.

DSC02543-5895The first fly-in or rather drive-in of 2015 was a lot of fun! Good thing we did a drive-in because the weather was overcast and rainy.   We had a great turn out with about 50 DAFers going to see the movie "Unbroken" and 37 dining at the Red Onion.  The movie was really hard to watch but I think we all were glad we saw it.  There is absolutely no doubt that Louis Zamperini was a  hero.  The Mexican dinner was very good and I think we all had a great time.  Thanks for coming!  Liz and Peter

IMG 2049-5885The Annual Holiday Party was a great success, with over 60 people attending. The DAF house band, The Time Machine Band, provided an assortment of tunes that got the DAFers out on the floor, and the PV Golf Club was a perfect venue. It was fun to see friends dressed up for the occasion,  and made for a wonderful end to another year of comaraderie.

IMG 0047November's program crowned the winner of this year's Mystery Fly-In. There was some suspense, along with a fair amount of misdirection and obfuscation, but in the end  the award went (again) to Larry and Jodie Chapman. Larry's protest of one particularly convoluted question was cut off when it was pointed out that the winner of any protest has to write the test next year! Thanks to the Mystery Fly-in Committee for coming up with a quiz that even Google couldn't provide all the answers to.

(The photo's from last year... they "forgot" to bring the trophy back this time. Talk about confidence!)

IMG 1302-5679The Mystery Fly-in came off without a hitch as about 26 DAFers in 9 planes made the trip to Perris for lunch. After answering the critical questions on the quiz correctly in order to find out the destination, they dodged parachute jumpers and jump planes to get to the Bomb Shelter Cafe for an excellent lunch. There was one go-around in deference to a jump plane asserting local right-of-way, but otherwise we were welcomed in, and had a great view the the jumpers landing right across the runway. The weather cooperated by breaking up just in time for our departure. All in all, another fine trip.

Thanks to the Mystery Committee for creating the quiz and setting up the trip. Volunteers are always welcome to help organize fly-ins, and ideas for future fly-ins are always welcome. Don't hesitate to contact any member of the board.