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President's Message Chris Ulibarri
AIRFEST IS UPON US!!! We need to think AIRFEST as it is next month on September 24th and 25th. AIRFEST is our showcase to the aviation community and we are making strides towards another successful AIRFEST this year. Last years AIRFEST was awesome and this years AIRFEST is promising to be even greater. You will be seeing signs of progress around the airport related to AIRFEST. Ray Parrish has given me a list of responsibilities we need to start looking at. As usual, the success of our AIRFEST depends specifically on the support of our members volunteering for specific duties. We cannot do this with a few members but rather by everyone volunteering their time and energy. VOLUNTEER for one or more of the areas you feel you can do the best in. For all of that I THANK YOU so much. Please look at the following areas and contact the individual ASAP so you can get together with them to start preparing for your duties:
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1. Ray Parrish (325-665-1460) Air Boss - In charge of signs, barricades, communication, Airshow flying activities.
2. Tim McMurray (325-698-4921) Tmc@bitstreet.com - In charge of Ramp Control
3. Lew Jones (325-698-9314) LewMach1@aol.com - In charge of Security and Safety
4. Gray Bridwell (325-537-2496) Gray1@jefflutherconstruction.com - In charge of Military aircraft, parking RV's, and will need help parking aircraft both Friday and Saturday September 24th and 25th .
5. Charlotte Rhodes (325-695-4469) Charlotterhodes@hotmail.com - Has already volunteered to do the registration booth for incoming pilots. She will need your help.
6. Chris Ulibarri (325-338-0982) UlibarriC@aol.com - I will help everywhere needed including Young Eagles.
7. David Marten (325-829-8744) DandDmarten@hotmail.com - Young Eagles Saturday morning 0800- 11:30am
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August
is also
bringing us quite a bit of opportunity to grow and excel as a chapter.
Our EAA Chapter 471 Board met recently to decide on an excellent
opportunity for our chapter to acquire a chapter hangar for our own use.
The War Bird 5 Squadron has decided that because of their low
membership, hangar 3 (north of Richard Baxter's hangar) can be ours. Our
EAA 471 Chapter has a large membership and a need for our own hangar. We
have the means and desire to make improvements as needed. It would be a
great opportunity for us to have a place we can call our own, though
leased from the city, but it will take 100% support from our members
(you) to make this work. We are waiting for the War Bird 5 Squadron to
submit a letter relinquishing control to the Abilene Regional Airport.
Once this is done, we can make our case for it and we're on our way to
achieving a long sought after goal of attaining our own place. This is
by far the best option for us and it has been laid down before us to
grasp as soon as possible.
Keep up the good work everyone and I look forward to seeing you at breakfast on August 14th.
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UPDATE By Gray Bridwell When you open your mouth, you are always subject to be criticized by someone. I opened my mouth last Fall as the Big Country Airfest 2003 wrapped up, and said that we will do twice the job we did last year. It will be up to you to prove my statement for the 2004 Airfest, but from my perspective, twice the show is just what we will have. The efforts of Steve Krazer with Krazer marketing will be very evident to you all in the month of August, as the marketing campaign is unleashed. Billboards have been carefully selected; TV, Radio, and Newspaper have all been targeted. We have sent out our professionally cut promotional video that Wayne McCormick has worked up to tell our airshow story that is filled with year one's wonderful success, and plans to make 2004 even better, to Texas EAA chapters. We will have an Article in Sport Aviation in the Hot Spot section that features what EAA chapters are doing. This is about page 14 or so, and is a good location for an article about the chapter. As we all know,
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funding is the lifeblood to any project. Steve has done a great job with that area as well; doubling the money raised last year. Abilene Aero is the Title Sponsor with a wonderful sponsorship that gave the organization capital to proceed with fundraising efforts. The local foundations have been most generous with the donations. Ray Parrish has assembled another great airshow lineup with special performances by: John Klatt Airshows, Gallaway Airshows, John MacGuire Airshows, Paradise Airshows, Trojan Phylers, Ron Cain, and a special performance by the Texas Twisters. Read more about them on our web page, www.bigcountryairfest.org
Saturday night, Blacksheep productions will host the 6th annual cookout at the airport. Steaks will be cooked as usual with the Tim Bosley band bringing Texas Tunes to the airport. Our sponsors will be invited to this great event as a thank you for the support they have given to Big Country Airfest. As has been the tradition in the past, the chapter is paying for each member's food for the evening. Another Food, Fun, and Flying event with special out of town aviators to share the love of flying with after a great day at the air show. ~ Gray ~
EAA 471 August Breakfast Scheduled for the 14th EAA Chapter 471 will hold its monthly breakfast at the Pride Hangar (ABI) at 9:00
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am on August 14th. Set-up will be at 5:00 PM on Friday.
This month's breakfast will be a great opportunity for members to "hook-up" with one of the Airfest managers to volunteer to help out.
Say What? (editorial)
When I joined the Chapter a couple of years ago, the members gathered for the monthly breakfast and then after eating, would move to a separate area to hold the meeting. I would guess that the number of members at the meeting was about a fourth of the total attendance at the breakfast. I assume the other members weren't too interested in the inner-workings of the chapter. Month after month, it was generally the same group that attended the meeting. I learned something at every meeting. I had just gotten my pilot's license, didn't own a plane, but loved flying and talking about flying. Now, for whatever reason, we hold our breakfast and meeting concurrently. I'm not particularly fond of the arrangement. I'm pretty sure there are non-members there that aren't too interested in the business of the chapter. But the biggest problem for me is trying to hear what a speaker is saying. It's like trying to carry-on a conversation in a 55 gallon barrel. Just seems like we could do something a little differently... ~ Sam ~ |
When I
asked Hobby what his biggest challenge was, he said, "staying motivated".
He hopes to be flying the plane before the end of the year and you can be
sure that when he does finish, it will be quite a show-piece.
~ Sam ~
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by Sam Evans
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So Long to Gary Potter By Charlotte Rhodes
Gary Potter, Chapter 471's own "Flying Farmer" has been transferred to FedEx facility at Alliance Airport near the Metroplex. In what seemed a short period of time, Gary sold his home here in Abilene and bought a home in Saginaw. After many jokes and tales, the time came to leave good friends behind. We will miss Gary and wish him the best. A couple of us will get to talk to him early in the morning about once a week when he flies overhead on his way out west. This will help us stay in touch. I would like to thank Gary for hanging in there with me on the lessons, he is a real trooper and for being an instructor who makes you excited about getting off the fence. Take care Gary and safe skies always! ~ Charlotte ~
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EAA 471 Website Gets New Look
In case you haven't noticed the Chapter's website is sporting a new look. Arlis Wright took-on the duties of webmaster and has been doing a super job. For security reasons, there is a "member" section that is now password protected. Check it out, and when you get a chance, give Arlis a thumbs-up. http://www.eaa471.org/
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EAA Chapter 471 Officers President ~ Chris Ulibarri Vice-President ~ Sam Evans Secretary ~ Larry Chapman Treasurer ~ Dick Humphrey Director ~ Charlotte Rhodes Director ~ Lew Jones Director ~ Dave Marten Director ~ Willie Walker Director ~ Bobby Nichols Past President ~ Gray Bridwell
Airfest Promotional Items Available
Want to look like "somebody" at the Airfest? Get a great-looking cap & tee-shirt sporting the Big Country Airfest logo. The items are on sale now from various Chapter members and will be available during the Airfest. Check them out on the Airfest website. Get yours will supplies last!
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Now, there are two ways of learning to ride a fractious horse: one is to get on him and learn by actual practice how each motion and trick may be best met; the other is to sit on a fence and watch the beast a while, and then retire to the house and at leisure figure out the best way of overcoming his jumps and kicks. The latter system is the safest; but the former, on the whole turns out the larger proportion of good riders. It is very much the same in learning to ride a flying machine; if you are looking for perfect safety, you will do well to sit on a fence and watch the birds; but, if you really wish to learn, you must mount a machine and become acquainted with its tricks by actual ritual. ---Wilbur Wright |
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