Still recovering from last month's Hangar Party, over 40 DAFers attended the September dinner meeting.  Reports were presented on the Las Vegas trip (see below), as well as the status of the upcoming Healdsburg weekend and November's trip to Alamos, Mexico.

The evening's speaker was Dr. Cary Charlin, a practicing dentist who also is the chief medical officer for the California Civil Air Patrol and a lead FAAST representative. Dr. Charlin gave a very interesting presentation in surviving a controlled landing in hotland (i.e., desert) areas. He gave some great advice on what to carry in your aircraft to help survive in the desert.

Beyond the typical items such as water, mirrors, and PLB's, one tidbit that this writer gained from the lecture is that it's beneficial to bring along the elderly and/or children when flying over hotland territories. As Dr. Charlin explained, these people have a much higher risk of not surviving an extended time in the desert, and consequently could be an excellent source of nourishment. Plus, their tiny hands are ideal for exploring crevices and under rocks (there are snakes and spiders out there, people).