Going Overboard...
Our October fly-in was great, with 14 adventurers arriving at the Oxnard/Ventura area in four airplanes and four cars. The weather included some clouds and haze, but conditions were VFR.After everyone arrived we all met at Tom and Patti's suite for the traditional cocktail hour, a beautiful sunset over the harbor. For dinner, we all headed to The Greek Mediterranean Steak and Seafood Restaurant, some by car and some on foot. All enjoyed the food, beverages and the lively entertainment with a view of the Ventura Harbor.
Saturday, we boarded a 9:00 a.m. boat for our trek across the channel viewing dolphins along the way. The weather was warm and enjoyable all day, though the surge was a bit more than we preferred due to a N. California storm. The kayaking was really cool, checking out many caves, plus learning from the guides about the history of Santa Cruz Island and all of the Channel Islands. Two of our group even took a few dips in to the water along the way, giving the guides excellent rescue training! After lunch, some of the group hiked up the mountain for some beautiful views.
The boat trip back was memorable due to meeting up with a superpod of probably 1,000 dolphins! We were quite entertained as the boat stopped to allow us to watch. Upon returning and getting freshened up, we all met again at Tom and Patti's suite for another cocktail party, this one a bit more subdued as we were exhausted! For dinner we broke up into a few groups for different dining options.
On Sunday, we all met up at 9:00 a.m. for a 20 minute walk (or 3 minute drive) to have breakfast at Le Petit Cafe Bakery at the harbor. Weather was marginal VFR for the flight home...all made it home safely. Thanks to Patti and Tom for organizing the adventure; they are so happy that "everyone survived!"
The Golden Age
At The October dinner meeting we watched a film highlighting aviation’s accomplishments in the era between the two World Wars. The progress was driven by improving our nation’s infrastructure, barnstorming daredevils, record setters and the birth of viable commercial aviation. It was a very exciting and innovative 24 year period not often highlighted.
How to do the Impossible in just 9 Days, 3 Minutes and 44 Seconds!
Our September speaker was Jill Rutan Hoffman who regaled us with inspirational stories about the historic 1986 record-setting, around-the-world flight of the Voyager by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager.
As the daughter of world famous pilot, Dick Rutan, and niece of revolutionary aeronautical designer, Burt Rutan; Jill’s inspirational and humorous stories presented an up close and personal look into the lives of two of the greatest adventurers of our time and demonstrated what can be accomplished with a nothing-is-impossible attitude.
Ramped up!
Like a plague of locusts, the DAF descended en mass on March AFB for a day at the March Field Air Museum. In a spectacular display of precision flying, everyone made the first turnoff from Runway 32, although some missed the subsequent turn onto Taxiway Golf. The 18 aircraft (which may be a DAF record) were marshalled in to Million Air, and filled their entire ramp area. Jodie and Lori took driving duty to ferry everyone from Million Air to the Air Museum, where the visit started with a taco lunch. Larry checked everyone off and handled coordination. The collection of aircraft and aviation memorabilia at the museum is massive, including an SR-71 and many aircraft rarely seen up close. The B-47 and B-52 were there with their massive landing gear, along with the Globemaster, Flying Boxcar, and an assortment of smaller aircraft. There was plenty of time after lunch to wander the grounds and check them out, before Mitch and Patti took over the driving duties to get everyone back to the airport.
Many thanks to Million Air and their staff. They opened on Saturday just for the DAF, had everything waiting for us, and gave us the use of their crew cars for the day. They did a great job, and made us feel very welcome. The civilian Airport Manager, Gary Gosiglia, showed up as well to greet us. Great things are happening there, and it's nice to see new opportunities for General Aviation.
Finally, thanks go to Dan Delane, for setting everything up. After all that effort, he wasn't able to attend the fly-in due to work!