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Twenty-three DAFers in nine aircraft descended into Columbia Airport (O22) Friday October 11 for a spectacular fall weekend. The leaves were turning, the days were warm and nights cool - it could not have been better weather. Eleven of us stayed at the airport's well-kept campground, while everyone else lodged in nearby Sonora. The campers had use of the campground's kitchen pavilion for the weekend, and hosted the "townies" on Friday night for a a tri-tip and chicken dinner (grilling courtesy of master chef Mitch).

On Saturday, many of us walked around historic Columbia, where a Fall Crafts Fair was being held. On Saturday evening, it was Happy Hour at the townies' hotel followed by a group dinner in neighboring Jamestown. The weekend demonstrated that with a adequate supply of beverages, even life-embracing campers and buttoned-down townies can all get along. Thanks to Larry and Jodie Chapman for organizing this fun weekend.

Eighteen DAFers in six aircraft landed on Kern Valley's 3600' runway on a blustery Saturday, September 21. Unfortunately, IFR conditions at Torrance prevented some pilots and passengers from attending, but for those who made it, a fine lunch at the airport cafe was waiting. We all would have loved to have seen Lambi's short approach in his King Air - but as he always seems to arrive first, there sadly were no witnesses.

Joe Cogan and Craig Narr were responsible for organizing this event, which as far as we can tell, consisted of a phone call to the cafe to make sure they could accommodate us. For this kind of effort, I'm smelling Wings award.

The September 17dinner meeting featured Craig Post, who is in charge of designing and planning the tours on the battleship Iowa. His presentation covered the history of the Iowa, which was the last lead ship of any class of United States battleships and was the only ship of her class to have served in the Atlantic Ocean during World War II. The main advantages of the battleship were its heavy armor and big guns. Located at Berth 87 at the Port of LA, the ship is now open for partial tours. The tours are broken into small groups because of the tight quarters and involve a lot of stair & ladder climbing, so be forewarned. Many thanks to Craig Post for his excellent presentation.

Important announcements made at the well-attended dinner meeting included the news that Willie the Shark, who escaped from the August hangar party, has yet to be found. An attempt to embarrass Curtis by announcing his birthday also failed. A good time was had by all.

This year's Hangar Party was one of the best attended that we ever had, with over 100 DAFers, guests, and prospective members attending. This year's theme was Castaways and everyone dressed in the deserted island best (or worst). Gilligan's Island was well represented, with multiple Gilligan's, Skipper's, Howell's and Gingers (this reporter counted only a single Professor).

As always, the food was great. Capt. Mitch and his crew (Curtis and Larry) offered up some perfectly prepared tropical pork and chicken. The range of side dishes brought by everyone was impressive, and there seemed to be plenty for everyone.

Once again, Capt. Mitch outdid himself with his Castaway-themed posters, which complemented the island motif table decorations and bar. Speaking of the bar, a big thanks to Craig and Jody Narr for all that they did in setting it up as well as keeping up with the steady demand throughout the night.

A successful event like this doesn't just happen, it requires a lot of planning, preparation and organization. A special thanks to some of the key people who made this happen, including Liz Broen, Joe Cogan, Mitch Taylor, Ray and Kelly Wolfbrandt, Larry Chapman, and Lori and Dan Delane. Also, the club would like to thank all of the members who showed up to help with setup and cleanup. And finally, huge thanks to Lambi and Sally for opening up their hangar to us.

Click here for the full photo gallery.

July's dinner meeting on July 16 was one of the the best attended of the year with over 58 members and guests attending.  Our speaker was Captain Robert Meyers (US Army Air Force Retired), one of only 12 glider pilots who participated in all four glider campaigns conducted during WWII.  Captain Roberts gave a great presentation, speaking for over 40 minutes without notes - describing his exploits, both military and romantic, as a young glider pilot in Europe during 1944-45.

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Wings were also awarded during the July meeting.  The recipient was Dan Delane, who was honored for creating and delivering an excellent presentation on the history of the F-15 Eagle to a variety of aviation audiences, including the Del Amo Flyers in November of last year.  As Dan related his experiences flying the fighter in both the Air Force and Air National Guard, DAFers were able to relive some of the exciting moments of Dan's fighter career, as well as reflect on their own meager, inconsequential lives.  Well done, Dan!

43 DAFers in 15 aircraft and two cars met up in Agua Dulce (L70) for another successful Flaming Brisket on Saturday, July 13.  Even the threat of a rumble with a local Boy Scout troop couldn't dampen the good spirits our group or create any clouds on a bright sunny day. (Curiously, this was not the club's first run-in with the Boy Scouts.  See the Nov. 20, 1991 issue of the DAF newsletter: "Fistfight at Furnace Creek".  We lost some good DAFers on that sad day my friends).  

As always, Mitch brought the perfectly-prepared brisket while everyone else brought plenty of side dishes.  Mitch and Jan were also the key organizers for this event - so a special thanks to both of them for everything they did.