Dinner with Barbara H. Schultz, Aviation Historian

We started the year off with a terrific program in January from Barbara H. Schultz,  Aviation Historian, Author and Speaker.  She presented research from her book, Cliff Henderson: Visionary Leader.  Her passion for her research is quite evident as she shared fascinating details about this extraordinary man who seized opportunities and turned them info reality.  A tremendous amount of time was also taken in her research.  Cliff was Managing Director for the National Air Races, entertaining thousands each year with thrills along with new records being set under his guidance. In 1945 Cliff founded the city of Palm Desert, a vision he had for 20 years. Cliff's "town of promise and expectancy" was a reality.  

Barbara has written four other aviation related books, again capturing great detail in her research.  More info on her books can be found at littlebuttesbooks.com. We appreciate Barbara taking the time to present her research for this book to the club.

The Holiday party was a smashing success

The Del Amo Flyers Holiday Party was a smashing success with a good time had by all!
Everyone cleaned up quite nicely for this festive occasion. We enjoyed wonderful fellowship, delicious food, along with terrific entertainment by the In Contempt Band who kept the dance floor full. An added treat was the live auction of the Mos Eisley Cantina sign created by Mitch Taylor for our Star Wars themed August Hangar Potluck. Tom LaGrelius served as auctioneer and a bidding war took place with the winning bid being $500 from Larry Chapman. This sign will make a nice addition to Larry and Jodie's new hangar in Placerville. Thanks for the nice donation to DAF Larry and Jodie!
Patti LaGrelius handed off the presidency to Steve Sappington who appears to be up for the challenge! The old Board of Directors was thanked and the new Board of Directors was introduced. There was some juggling around of positions, with Maggie Smith stepping down from the board (thanks Maggie for your four years of service!) and the addition of Larry Weinstein who will photograph our exciting activities. Welcome Larry!

And the Winner Is...

For November, we had a "two fer" program. First, there was the exciting conclusion to the DAF Annual Mystery Fly-in. Mitch went through the test in excruciating detail, only breaking things up with a scene from "Flying Down to Rio" showing a bevy of beauties wingwalking (and wingdancing) in a musical interlude. (For those who missed it or just want to see it again, the link is here). The results of the test were surprisingly close, with only 10 points seperating the best and the worst. However, the bar was set fairly low: the high score was 71 out of a possible 285! It's good that we were grading on the curve. The coveted Myfy Trophy went to Lambi Haralambos and Craig Narr; way to go, guys!

After the presentation, there was a short inspirational video by Janine Shepherd. As a cross country skier headed for the Olympics, she was hit by a truck while on a training bike ride. Her injuries were so severe that she was told she would never walk again, and even her survival was called into doubt. She decided to become a pilot, and used flying as an inspiration to drive her rehabilitation. She worked at physical therapy to not only become a pilot, but recover the use of her legs and become an aerobatics flying instructor. It was a great video and a remarkable story. Thanks to Maggie and Laurice for showing it!

The 25% Solution...

November's Mystery Fly-in was a real head scratcher this year. Our elite group of test subjects spent the first part of the morning mulling over the devious questions our fly-in committee came up with. It became clear that they had taken obfuscation to a new level as groans were heard from the crowd. After working through the test and unscrambling the airport name to find our destination, the intrepid group headed out to lunch at San Gabriel Valley Airport (better known as El Monte Airport). THe usual Mystery Jinx showed up as well; Kelvin had a bum brake in his 150 that kept him grounded, and Robert's group in the Bonanza did a return to base with a power issue. For the 12 people that made it to lunch it was a nice flight over and an excellent lunch. The flight back was hazier, as the smoke from the Woolsey fire had started to blow in. Otherwise, another great flight and fly-in!

Drones in the museum

Dr. Perry Roth-Johnson, Assistant Curator, Aerospace Science, California Science Museum and Exhibit Development Program Coordinator Brittany Oats shared an enlightening presentation that covered the history and development of drones to the impact in today’s world and our daily lives. Many groups (including law enforcement, tech firms, farmers, and researchers) have already found new applications, and seek to increase drone use in the future. However, this technology raises many concerns, especially around privacy and safety. As with any new technology with the potential to transform daily life, the public should be a part of a conversation about how drones are used. Science centers are a good venue for this, but how do we design an exhibit to facilitate a productive conversation? To inform the design of a new exhibit at the California Science Center, they presented data collected from 7 focus groups with Science Center staff to explore the social issues around 3 possible uses of drones. As might be expected for a controversial topic, they found that many staff members held many different views about the benefits and challenges of drones.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

For our October Fly In, 27 DAFers, 9 planes and 2 cars joined up in Williams, Arizona. With weather threatening to move in before the departure on Sunday, there were only 6 cancellations. One group drove their car all the way and 2 planes landed in Bullhead KIFP and drove into Williams. 3 planes landed at Williams KCMR and 4 chose to use Flagstaff KFLG.

On Friday night after Happy Hour, we had a group dinner at Rod’s, a local steak house that has been in Williams on Route 66 since 1946.

On Saturday morning before the train ride to the Grand Canyon, we watched a short poker game gone wrong western shoot out. We then boarded the train for the trip to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Because it was the first Saturday of the month, we were being pulled by a steam locomotive. As we traveled, we were treated to fruits, pastry and drinks. Many of us enjoyed the ride from the outside platform of the Parlor Car.

As we neared our destination, it began to rain. Many of us went on a bus shuttle tour of the canyon and some others went hiking. Spectacular rainbows developed over the canyon as the rain subsided. After lunch we boarded the train for the return to Williams. On our way we were treated to local guitarists and our train was robbed.

Back in Williams, we all gathered for Happy Hour as thunder storms were moving into our area. Afterwards, small groups gathered for dinner. As the evening progressed, the thunder and lightning were giving us quite a show.

We woke up on Sunday morning to a blanketing of snow. Peter and Rick wisely arranged to have their planes in hangars for the night. The weather broke long enough that we were all able to depart and make it home.

Thank You for attending our Fly In and making our trip to Williams and the Grand Canyon a fun and memorable experience. A special thank you to Craig and Jody Narr for organizing 
a terrific fly-in. Everyone had a terrific time.