Home
  • You are here:  
  • Home

DAFers ended the year in high spirits at our annual holiday party on December 7.  PV Golf Club did a very nice job in getting everyone in the Christmas mood with their ballroom and lounge area decorations.  This year we had a new band: In Contempt.  Led by an exceptionally strong lead singer, the band played a lot of Motown and soul classics that kept everyone on the dance floor.  And this reporter only heard compliments with respect to the food and drink.

The 2017 Board of Directors was announced and it was pretty much the same as the 2016 board with a few changed positions.  Steve and Nancy Sappington will take over Photography from Linda Howard, who will take over Decorations from Maggie Smith.  Maggie will be joined by Laurice Churchill to oversee Progams, replacing Steve and Nancy.  President Larry Chapman advised those in attendance that although the board was able to cover all responsibilities this coming year, "fresh blood" will be required for 2018 since ther will definately people moving off the board at the end of 2017.  He committed to starting the "arm twisting in earnest" early in the new year.

A special shout out to Patti LaGrelius for coordinating this very fun event.

IMG 0941-7846The Annual Mystery Fly-in went off this year with only minor flaws, most having to do with dead batteries. A full crew showed up at the GAC to take the devilish test, followed by a fly-in to Bakersfield Muni and the Rocket Shop Café for lunch. This time everyone went directly to the correct airport in Bakersfield, breaking with tradition. The two teams whose aircraft were voltage challenged came up with a secondary drive-in destination, Brouwerij West in San Pedro, where as a consolation prize they were able to have beer with their lunch.
The winning team this year, taking home the much coveted Mystery Trophy, consisted of Steve Sappington, Nancy Schunke, Robert Sedey and Lynne Sedey.
Special thanks to the Mystery Fly-in Committee who put the test together. Robert Beckwith, James Pavlick, Joe Cogan, Dan Delane, and Mitch Taylor came up with enough hard (or just screwy) questions that no team got them all correct. Take that, Google!

sceptor city nasa half res

Our November program was a presentation by fellow DAFer Dave Hopkins on Electric Powered Airplanes. We learned about the numerous developments worldwide to bring this revolutionary change in aircraft power plants to
fruition. Its potential to dramatically lower acquisition and operating costs, eliminate operating emissions and lower
noise are benefits to get excited about. Dave also answered many probing questions from the audience. Thanks Dave
for sharing with us!

 


Future Programs: If you have any ideas for a program or you
would like to present a program, please call Steve Sappington and Nancy Schunke
at 310-375-6598.

IMG 4844-7730Our 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!"

Gee BeeAt 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.

rutans and yeager

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.