Auburn Aviation Association News

There is a FLY in my Soup.

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 23:14:10 GMT

From President Randy Leys

Was I the only one or did anyone else learn how to spell while enjoying a nice hot bowl of Alphabet soup? Mine usually ended up cold because of trying to find letters to spell words like airplane, jet, wing, aileron, stick and rudder. And oh ya, did I mention "FLY??" I would dream a little and then my imagination would quickly take over and off I would go, cloud dancing!

My favorite airship of choice was the Massey Harris 21 combine that was retired to the back 40. Oh, those controls! They took me to the moon and back in the blink of an eye. As you can see I was well prepared to defend myself against any unfriendly's.

The ole Massey 21 was eventually replaced by a brand new shiny Massey Ferguson 410 with a glass enclosed cockpit. But she was limited to a 4 mile radius of the farm yard and her job was to bring in the harvest. The Starship Massey Harris had no limits, Pluto, Venus, Jupiter or Mars, or even a pass to see how close I could get to the sun.

But today I am older, some people call me a man, I say the day after tomorrow, I think you'll understand. Now my FLYing is a little more down to earth.

Cruising 500mph at 41,000 feet delivering a liver to Scottsdale, AZ in a Hawker 900XP; 330 mph at 31,000 feet in a King Air 300; picking up passengers from Redmond, OR to Livermore, CA.; 265 mph to Little River in a King Air C90 to enjoy a sunset on the Pacific coast with our VP Doug McDougal; or at 100 mph in Chris Bennett?s Zenith 750 for overnight at Dead Cow Lakebed for some R-N-R.

All thanks to my first grade teacher telling me "Randy, you're not going to get anywhere staring out of a window."

Let your imagination run wild, shoot for the stars! You may end up piloting a Boeing 777 named Venus, an Air Bus 380 called Mars, or how about a Gulf Stream named Jupiter? Sorry, Neptune, it's taken - painted on the side of the Starship Massey Harris.

I leave you with this thought to ponder: There are no regrets in the future. Life does have a rear view mirror. It has a switch on it. One switch where you see everything. The other switch you see the blessings. I know it's easier said than done, but well worth trying!!

That's my story, eh! I'm sticking to it.

Randy Leys

PS Thx mucho, JR

Humans Live in Groups

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 18:52:39 GMT

From VP Doug McDougall

Our ancient ancestors lived in small groups; we’re told their odds of survival increased if there were others nearby to help with the tasks of daily life. At night we imagine them around the fire, telling the tales of their culture and feeling safe, surrounded by their family and friends. In the modern world, almost all of us have communities in our life that mimic those of our distant forebears: family, church, work, leisure activities, and many other groups all contribute to meet important needs in our lives. Recently, a family in our aviation community suffered the tragic and unexpected loss of their youngest son, Jason. We, as their friends and fellow aviation community members, extend our deepest and most sincere sympathies to Lisa and AAA President Randy Leys, and their family--Casey and Taylor and Caitlin. Words can scarcely express the sorrow we feel, and I know that all of us want to be there to support them in any way we can through this unimaginably difficult time. On another front, Auburn Airport members raised money and purchased the additional outdoor seating tent for Wings Café. Hats off to the generous donors who organized and contributed to this successful community effort. Next month’s AAA meeting on August 5 would normally be our annual barbeque. Your board of directors is considering our options using county guidelines. We’ll let everyone know the plan via e-mail within the next few days. Looking forward to better days and clear skies!

VP Doug McDougall

Aviation in a Pandemic

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 18:55:23 GMT

From President Randy Leys

Hang in there…..

What a ride these last four months have been and the effect it is having on aviation. For those aviators in training, their dreams may have dimmed a little. I am impressed that we were able to implement precautions and to safely continue training keeping hopes and dreams alive.

I am very optimistic from a Corporate/Charter standpoint. In the past three weeks, I have flown over ten flights. The Auburn flight schools are very active. Net Jets and Flex Jet are getting busier. I recently talked with a long time friend and mentor of mine based in Orlando, FL. He is seeing a lot of activity in corporate aircraft purchases and upgrades. There may be a shift for the near future to fly corporate and charter travel reducing larger group exposure. I would expect that may even trickle down to high performance single engine aircraft. So hey newbies, keep your chin up and continue your training. Even if you hold a single engine commercial pilot certificate and instrument rating, get that resume together and show it to a mentor for review and pointers to successfully represent your qualities. Get it out there in the hands of operators. Many turbo props and some jets are single pilot rated and you may be just what they are looking for. They may even finance future upgrades.

I was talking to Kelly recently and he reminisced that about four months ago, he had a class date for training with an airline then received some disappointing news. Just the other day, he received an email stating that he still was on the list. The airlines might be down, but not out. We have been hearing that Southwest Airlines are back to running a full schedule. Other airlines are not planning future layoffs and expecting better days ahead.

Those of us that have been in this business of aviation for a while, have seen and experienced its ups and downs. But patience and persistence have paid off over time. And if you love what you do you will never work another day in your life.

I look forward to seeing everyone on our “Zoom” meeting Wednesday, July 1st. We have another great guest speaker presenting. Most of all I look forward to real face time in the near future. I am hoping that in August, AAA will get together for BBQ at an outside venue!

CAUTION: You may have just been infected by some OPTIMISM! Spread it around!

That’s my story Eh, and I’m sticking to it!

Randy

Exciting News and Proceeding with Caution

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 16:54:35 GMT

From President Randy Leys

It was two years ago the end of May that I started instructing at the Auburn Airport. I could not have predicted this incredible experience and meeting such great people over the past two years! The most fun has been to see pilots in the making and receiving their certificates and ratings.

Full Circle My first summer here, I helped Diane Hammer, Ben Foss, and their volunteers with Friday Flydays. It was at those events that I got to meet Auburn’s finest and saw what made this such a great airport. I met Christian Watt, one of the Friday Flydays crew. I sat down with Christian to find out a little about his journey. He told me that about four years ago he had taken an intro flight, but at that time he was just starting to attend college with his focus set on a degree in mechanical engineering.About three years ago, a young private pilot named Camile Tricomo invited Christian on a flight. He got the bug. He knew then that he wanted to become a pilot and direct his engineering studies towards aerospace. After attending a AAA Interview Training course and eceiving a letter of recommendation from Don Wolfe, he got an internship with Icon Aircraft at Vacaville Airport. In the meantime, Camile was advancing her ratings and Christian was advancing his credits. Six months ago,Camile earned her flight instructor certificate and Christian went on to be her first start-to-finish student pilot. Just last week, Christian received his private pilot certificate and a few days later he graduated with a masters in mechanical engineering/aerospace. He will be moving to Maryland to work for Lockheed Martin as a power plant flight test engineer.Both Camile and Christian have been recipients of AAA scholarships. Camile in turn has served on the scholarshipinterview team. (Full Circle) Tierra Bickford took Camille under her “wing” to pursue aviation and was mentored by Shawn Bickford, Don Wolfe and many other AAA members.

Where are they now? Renata Mackenroth was one of my first private pilot students here at Auburn. I am proud to say that she was my first start-to-finish to receive her private pilot certificate at the age of 17. She took flying very seriouslyand that translated into becoming a skilled aviator. She then followed with getting tail wheel and high-performance endorsements. Renata is also a AAA scholarship recipient and has been on the interview team for scholarship applicants.Renata is now a freshman attending Utah State studying aviation technology. She is currently competing on the Utah State intercollegiate flying team in Colorado in a Garmin 1000-equipped Diamond DA-40. While aspiring to fly competition aerobatics, she plans to continue adding certificates and ratings. Renate also enjoys raising and showing dairy goats and competing with her thoroughbred mare.

Getting started!A few weeks ago, a young man named Andrew Chubatenko came to check on flight schools. I did not know at the time that he had received a scholarship from Local EAA 526. Instead of my interviewing Andrew, he essentially interviewed me by asking great questions about flight training, type of flight school, our training program, average hours to solo, length of time to achieve a private license, etc. Last week Andrew signed up and will start his training with Peter Hastert. You can read more about Andrew Chubatenkoin last month’s AAA news. I’m proud to have been a part in Peter’s instrument and commercial training. There is more about his recent achievements in the following pages.It’s very exciting to see AAA and EAA partnership in providing aviation training, mentoring and scholarships to Auburn’s aviation dreamers. You all are a big part in this through your membership, donations and time investment.This letter has highlighted scholarship achievements and successes. There are many more hard-working students, pilots and instructors achieving and having success stories of their own. I look forward to hearing their stories.In the meantime, please join us for our exciting monthly (Zoom) meeting Wednesday June 3rd@ 6:00pm. Hopefully soon we will be able to meet again at the Barnstormer for our great potluck dinners!That’s my story Eh! And I’m sticking to it.

Randy Leys, President

Waiting For This Storm To Clear

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Wed, 06 May 2020 12:31:03 GMT

From Vice President Doug McDougall

Anybody remember the old song from the sixties “Big Yellow Taxi”? The refrain went: “Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone?”

The lyric summarizes where we are now. We used to take for granted everyday activities like going to the grocery store, going out for dinner, getting a haircut, or walking in our neighborhoods, but suddenly everything is different. I don’t think things have ever changed so fast or so much at any time in my life as they have in the past two months.

Yet out of adversity comes opportunity. The pace of life has slowed. Our dog loves the extra attention. We’re finding ourselves spending more time on the phone talking to relatives and old friends than we did before shelter in place. We’re checking on vulnerable people we know to be sure they’re doing alright. Although we are physically distancing, we’re socially closer.

It is a good time to reflect on what a wonderful community we have at KAUN. We thrive on the friendly connections we have when we meet at the airport. Now, things are not the same, and we have to think about keeping physical distance from everyone, for their safety as well as our own. It feels awkward. It makes me realize how much the airport, or more accurately, the people who make it such a great place, mean to me, and I look forward to the time when conditions will improve. I don’t know when or if airport life will ever be quite the same again for us, but I believe good days and fair weather lie ahead.

We’ll get through this crisis in much better shape if we all pull together and look out for each other. A lot of our local businesses are having a very difficult time. Think about steering a little business their way if you can. Many of the stores and restaurants we normally patronize are still open and have found creative ways to continue to be of service to our community. Let’s do our part to help get them through this unprecedented economic turmoil Here’s a glass-half-full view for you: The weather is beautiful. The grass is green, and the blue skies are clearer than they have been in ages. The airport is open, and we can take the opportunity to raise the hangar door and fly in the sky. Maybe take some of your quarantine-stressed housemates with you--pulling back on the elevator has been known to lift the spirits as well as the airplane!

So stay safe and stay healthy, remain calm, be patient, and maintain your physical distance while we wait for this storm to clear!

Doug McDougall

Vice President

Brighter Days Ahead

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 22:51:11 GMT

From President Randy Leys

I’m sad to announce that we will not be meeting April 1 for our pot luck dinner due to circumstances I’m sure we are all well aware of. In these times I’m reminded of a quote I heard many years ago. “In every adversity lies the seed of an equal or greater benefit or opportunity.” I’m already encouraged by reports of a dad telling of going for bike ride with his son. Something they had not done in ten years.

I was super excited after visiting with Don Wolfe last week about our combined efforts with the EAA offering bright futures to aviation dreamers I have asked Don to share about that. Take it away Don!

The combined EAA Chapter 526 and Auburn Aviation Association Flight Scholarship interviews are complete. This is the first year for the two organizations to team up with a combined online application and interview process. More about this new program in the article: “Combined Flight Scholarship Program 2020”.

There were over 20 applicants for the two $2500 Flight Scholarships. 6 candidates were chosen to interview on Saturday March 14, 2020.

The Interview Team consisted of Steve Kendall and Brad Hawley from Chapter 526. Jessi Dreschler, James Jacobson and Don Wolfe represented AAA. The greeter table was chaired by Marleen Wekell. The team met at 08:00 in the Barnstormer room and prepared for the first interview at 08:30. Don Wolfe conducted the interviews while the Interview Team rated the candidates.

Following the interviews the team debated the results over a very long lunch from Wings restaurant. All 6 candidates were highly qualified and highly motivated. The decision was not an easy one for the team to achieve. In the end Andrew Chubatenko and Benjamin Rubash were chosen to receive the scholarship funds. Both gentlemen have also been awarded lifetime memberships in Auburn Aviation Association.

Andrew Chubatenko: Andrew is attending the Sierra College with plans to transfer to UC Davis where he will study aerospace engineering. Andrew is looking forward to experiencing aerodynamics first hand at the controls of an aircraft. He is also looking forward to the day he can take his family and friends for an airplane ride. Andrew will be researching Mach 5 Aviation and Sunshine Flyers to discover which flight school is the best fit for his flight training. Andrew was very active as a young flyer in the EAA Young Eagles Program here in Auburn. EAA Chapter 526 will be funding his training.

Benjamin Rubash: Benjamin is attending American River College with plans to transfer to Embry Riddle University in Prescott, AZ. Benjamin is additionally researching options with the Air National Guard and the military. He hopes to become an airline pilot one day and travel the world. Benjamin is currently training at Mach 5 Aviation in the Cessna 172 Skyhawk. His Private Pilot flight check is scheduled for May, 2020. Benjamin will receive the Auburn Aviation Flight scholarship

Shayden Eagleheart and Caden Hamm were awarded the scholarship trips to the EAA Air Academy.

Thanks, Don, for that great exciting report. Until next month Eh!

Randy Leys

Dream a little…….

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 23:49:58 GMT

From President Randy Leys

My first dreams of flying was easy for me. It all got started on a farm near the metropolis of Hughton, Saskatchewan, Canada. Our area was known as the buckle of the Canadian wheat belt. As far back as I can remember, parked in the yard along side the truck and tractor was an airplane. Any time I thought that Dad was going to fly the airplane I was in it. Some times we had to make tough decisions whether to take the truck or the airplane to town four miles away. While driving the tractor on the farm, I world see jets flying over, wishing, hoping, dreaming of flying one some day.

Dream a little more…….

When I was twelve, we started traveling to Texas for the winters, then farm back in Canada in the summers. I received my private license in Texas at the age of 19. In the winters, I had many opportunities to fly in my dad’s Cherokee 180 to Mexico and Central America assisting missionaries. All the while still dreaming, hoping, wishing to be flying jets.

Dream bigger……

After the twenty years of traveling back and forth from Canada to Texas, I married Lisa and settled in Texas. I received my Commercial license and started my professional pilot career. Over the last 37 years, we raised three boys, and there I was, now sitting in a Business Jet looking down at a tractor on a farm remembering a dream that had come true. I also thought that maybe there was someone looking up at me dreaming, hoping, wishing to be flying jets.

Never stop dreaming…….

I had flown hundreds of different aircraft, flown awesome jets, but still had a dream of flying more incredible, cool flying machines. A restlessness set in, enticing me to do something crazy like chase a rainbow and find a pot of gold! That rainbow led us to Auburn. Meeting, teaching, mentoring future professional pilots. Flying and riding in cool airplanes!

While waiting for some our wildest dreams to come true, take time to help someone with their dream and your dream will show up before you know it. And that’s what I see here at AAA! The Dream Machine! Eh?

Not On Our Radar

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 22:58:40 GMT

By President Randy Leys

About this time two yearss ago Lisa and I were having coffee on our deck in south Texas considering the possibility of moving to California to join our son Jason. Four months later we loaded up our Jeep said, “Good-bye” to family, friends and corporate flying and with some apprehension headed west to “Cali”. After getting settled in, I was ready to check out the local airport. I could not believe how many airplanes and hangers I was seeing. I walked into Sunshine Flyers, to check on an flight instructor job and Diane Hammer hired me right away. Mike Duncan took me under his wing providing me with many opportunities by introducing me to his many aviation friends, getting me involved with Friday Fly Days and AAA. It did not take long to feel at home in Auburn in the beautiful Sierra Nevada foothills.

Recently, I had a cool opportunity to meet a nine year old young lady who traveled with her mother and father from Austin, TX to attend Col. Bud Anderson’s 98th birthday party. I had the honor of giving Toni her first flight, gifted by Michael Brown. I presented her first log book that was also signed by Bud Anderson, her hero, as well as others. She told a story that on one of her visits to meet Bud she brought airplane cookies that she had personally baked. The cookies did not travel so well on the flight. She was sad at first, but then had a great idea that the broken cookies would be the airplanes that Bud shot down.

A huge thank you to our VP Doug McDougall for stepping up to the plate for conducting a great meeting while I was cloud dancing in Arizona last month.

I could not have imagined that a year and a half later, I was asked to represent Auburn Aviation Association as their president. I am amazed and humbled to be welcomed and accepted by such a wonderful community. It is an honor and a privilege to support a great organization that provides training, leadership, mentoring and scholarships to future aviators!

One last note, the end of February is the deadline for submitting applications for the AAA scholarship program. So spread the word.

Regards,

Randy Leys

President

Remembering Tom Camilli, 2020 Scholarship Kick-off, New Members

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Mon, 30 Dec 2019 18:48:29 GMT

From Immediate Past President Doug Fee

As our new President, Randy Leys, is in the bullpen warming up, I offered to step in for him with an opening message this month.

Our December meeting brought a room full of members and guests who showed up to partake of the fun. Aside from the usual great dinner, and a little bit of Association business, we had live Christmas music as Marcia Winborne-Graven played the piano for us.

The big event for the evening however was the silent auction, that wasn't always quite silent. We had a surprisingly extensive and eclectic array of donated items available for bidding, with all of the proceeds going to our scholarship endowment. Model airplanes, E6-B flight computers, navigation plotters, a guitar, RC models, books, collectable magazines, a bottle of scotch, headsets, a birdhouse--we had tables full. The bidding was robust, competitive and fun. In the end, we all had a good time, and the auction wound up adding over $800 to our endowment. It was a real win-win. There's talk about making it an annual event.

On a more somber note, I'm sorry to be reporting the sad news to you that our own Tom Camilli has gone west. Most of you will remember Tom as our entertaining speaker from a year or so ago when he presented us his story and slideshow about flying his Sundancer motorglider from Auburn to Florida for the Sun 'N Fun fly-in. Tom was not a loud, flamboyant sort of guy, but had a quiet, upbeat, cheerful humor and intelligence that made him an extremely pleasant and entertaining fellow to be around. Flying seemed to be part of his DNA. Reared on episodes of Sky King, Whirlybirds and WWII flying movies, he soloed on his third birthday (in an orange crate “airplane” constructed by his uncle) and earned his pilot's license before he was old enough to shave.

As with many aviators, real life and family obligations caused him to set aside his flight bag. But after a 40 year career as an educator, author and workshop presenter, he returned to the cockpit to tackle the challenge of learning motorless flight. He has since been an avid supporter of general aviation. Tom is survived by his wife, fellow glider pilot and AAA member Karin, as well as two adult children.

He was an integral part of our Association, as well as our airport community, and will be missed. Our condolences go out to his family.

Blue skies,

Doug

One Person's Trash is Another One's Treasure

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 18:32:34 GMT

From President Doug Fee

Aside from another summer season of flying activities coming to a close, for the AAA, a year of change and transition is winding up. Of course, the big change for us has been the establishment and initial funding of our endowment. That process has taken a fair amount of work and decision-making, as well as leaps of faith on the part of your Board of Directors. Our initial funding efforts have been fruitful, and we are almost two-thirds of the way to the point where the endowment will be able to produce a scholarship every year . . . . forever. Of course, we'd like to continue to build the endowment so that we can increase the opportunities that we will have to assist deserving young folks in our community in achieving their aviation career goals in the future. And, as we pursue that funding goal, keep in mind that:

"One person's trash is another one's treasure"

One of our end-of-the-year activities will be a silent auction to be held at our monthly meeting on December 4th. We are looking for donations of items to be raffled off to the highest bidder, with all proceeds going into our endowment. Although the items to be auctioned will probably center around aviation related things, don't limit yourself to that. Want to clear Uncle Harry's Louisville Slugger baseball bat out of the hall closet? Someone at our meeting just might want it. Have a 1951 issue of National Geographic Magazine? Bring it in, and let someone bid on it. Do you build wooden birdhouses in your free time? Or, maybe you have a personally autographed photo of Scholarship Chairman Don Wolfe. Surely someone will bid on that! How about that unused David Clark headset that's been collecting dust in the back of your closet for the last five years? Some new pilot will need it. A gift certificate from our own Wings Grill? Or maybe the Owner's Manual to a 1958 Bellanca Cruisemaster? We will also be auctioning off all of the beautiful selection of aircraft models that were on display at our last month's meeting.

This is going to be fun and, again, all of the proceeds from the auction will go directly into our endowment.

If you are going to bring something for us to auction, I'd suggest that you plan to arrive a bit on the early side--maybe around 5:30 or so. That will give us time to get our displays organized and bid sheets set out and marked. And finally, everyone, bring cash or your checkbook so that you can take home some unexpected treasures.

As my year's tenure as your president comes to an end, I want to offer some thank yous. First of all to all of the directors and committee chairs. Without their hard work and dedication, the Auburn Aviation Association would not be the success that it is. To every single one of the members of our organization, thanks for supporting us and giving us the opportunity to do what we do. And, finally, thanks to everyone for humoring me and putting up with my shenanigans for the last year.

Blue skies,

Doug

Election of Officers

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 03:22:20 GMT

From President Doug Fee

It's that time of year again. The leaves are beginning to turn--and collect on the lawn. Pumpkins and jack o' lanterns are showing up. Children--and grown children--are planning their Halloween costumes as they contemplate their expected haul of candy. AND, it's time for the Auburn Aviation Association to elect our new officers for next year. Our Nominations Committee, headed by Wayne Mooneyham, has been working behind the scenes to come up with a slate of candidates to fill our elected posts. They have done, in my opinion, a great job of finding some newer faces to take some of those jobs. The slate of new officers, as proposed, will include a very good mix of new faces and ideas, with seasoned and experienced people. Here are some of the newer faces: Our nominee for President is Randy Leys. Randy is originally from Saskatchewan, Canada, and learned to fly in southern Texas. He and his wife followed their son here to the Auburn area several years ago. He's instructing at Sunshine Flyers, and is also flying charters part time in a Hawker jet out of McClellan Airport. Randy is a great guy who has a wide range of flying experience. Doug McDougall is our nominee for Vice-President. Interestingly, Doug is also originally from Saskatchewan. (Do you see a trend here?). He is a recently retired veterinarian, who specialized in treating cats and dogs, and is a partner in a Piper Cherokee Six based here in Auburn. He's a bright guy who has a great sense of humor, and should be a real asset to our organization. Of course, one of our Association's challenges this next year will be for the Board of Directors to put the brakes on our Saskatchewan-born-and-bred officers' attempts to build a hockey rink on the ramp by the fuel pumps. These two gentlemen were introduced to the membership at our October meeting. The formal election will be held at our November 6th meeting, so put it on your calendar and be there for the festivities and to help us confirm our new officers. One other item of additional Association news involves our developing an organizational structure to account for and recognize donations to our endowment. I have been very gratified to see the enthusiastic support for the funding of our endowment. But, because it is a new area of activity for us, we need to make sure that we manage it properly. Aside from simply keeping track of our donations, I feel that it is very important to make a point of thanking each donor for their contribution. You'll be hearing more about this as we finalize our plans. Blue skies, Doug Fee

Camel Races?

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 02:16:46 GMT

From President Doug Fee

One of the really magic things about this invention that Orville and Wilbur gave us, is the ability to whisk ourselves off to places that would, otherwise, be inconvenient to get to. A good friend of mine and his wife departed home here in Auburn a few days ago, drove down to Sacramento International, and hopped on an airplane to Minneapolis/St. Paul. There, they connected to another flight to Amsterdam, followed by one more short flight to their destination. Some hours after leaving Auburn, he sent me a photo of them lounging and sipping beverages at a sidewalk cafe in Stockholm, Sweden. One hundred-and-fifty years ago, that trip would have taken them twenty days, not twenty hours.

But if Sweden is beyond your travel horizons, how about something a bit closer to home? Maybe the 60th Annual Camel Races in Virginia City, Nevada? Too long of a drive, you say? Auburn to Carson City Municipal Airport was only twenty-seven minutes in our RV-6 a couple of weeks ago. Mountain West Aviation had a rental car awaiting us as promised, and another thirty minutes by road put us in the small, old west mining town of Virginia City.

While they're called Camel Races, they also had zebra, ostrich, emu and chicken races. The bottom four rows in the grandstands were marked off as being the "camel spit zone". However, I'm not certain that there was any actual risk of a close encounter with dromedary saliva. It's possible that those cautions were made purely for dramatic effect. However that was a hypothesis that we elected not to test. We sat up high in the stands and remained, thankfully, spatter-free. The whole spectacle was rife with all the ambiance that you'd expect of the pig races at the state fair, but with more showmanship. And of course the aroma of . . . . well . . . . camels.

It was a high-energy, fun birthday outing for my bride, and gave us a good excuse to go flying. But, next time, we'll be sure to take along ear plugs.

It's magic what these airplanes can do for you.

Blue skies,

Doug

Ways to Give

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 02:57:56 GMT

From President Doug Fee

There has been a lot of interest in the endowment, and I've gotten a number of questions about how to go about making a contribution. So, if you are interested in making a donation, I'd like to try to explain how simply this can all work.

Our endowment is being held and managed for us by the Placer Community Foundation (PCF). A registered charitable organization, they have roots going back to 1948 here in Auburn. They currently manage nearly two dozen charitable funds.

If you would like to make a donation to help establish "forever funding" for our Bud Anderson scholarship, it can be very simple:

1. Go to the PCF website. They can accept on-line donations with a credit card or Pay Pal. And, we have a link to the PCF on the home page of our Auburn Aviation Association website.

2. Or, you can write a check made out to "Placer Community Foundation", and mail it to them at P. O. Box 9207, Auburn, CA 95604. If you send them a check, be sure to put "Auburn Aviation Association" in the memo line, so they know which fund to direct your contribution to.

3. Or, the PCF can accept cash donations at their office located at 219 Maple Street, Suite 200, Auburn, CA 95603. Their business hours are 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, M-F.

4. Or, If you'd prefer, you can simply put cash or a check (again, made out to PCF) in my hand or that of Don Wolfe, and I guarantee that we will get it to the right place for you.

5. Or, consider a Life Membership in AAA. Your Board of Directors is finishing up details on a new Life Membership plan that will help fund our endowment.

But there are some slightly more complex, yet equally enticing ways you could help out:

1. Include the AAA Endowment in your estate planning. This is actually simpler than it sounds, and PCF (ph. 530-885-4920) can help guide you through the process. It doesn't even necessarily have to involve changing your will.

2. Or, between the AAA and the PCF, we are in a position to accept donations of real goods that can be turned into donations to the endowment. Airplane, hangar, car, boat, stamp collection, coin collection? Most of these are things that we can work with. It's a bit more complicated, but it's possible.

Finally, keep in mind that both the AAA and PCF are registered charitable organizations. So you can take into account all of the tax ramifications that go with that status. Again, it's important to me that none of our members feel obligated to make a contribution. But if you would like to do so, you will be helping the Association fund our scholarship . . . . . forever. Blue skies, Doug

AAA Scholarship Fund Endowment Established

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 12:58:48 GMT

From President Doug Fee

As has been previously reported to you in this space, as well as at our monthly meetings, your Board of Directors has been researching and debating the possibility of establishing a permanent endowment. The purpose of this endowment would be to provide a ongoing source of funding for our scholarships. This has been a nearly six-month discussion that has involved multiple briefings with the Placer Community Foundation, followed by extensive question and answer sessions. Untold numbers of emails have zipped back and forth between various members of our Association, members of the Board, and the PCF representative. Your Board also met with a financial advisor to discuss the issue, and to get his perspective and thoughts on just whether or not this would be a good move for the AAA. I believe that your Board has truly performed it's duty of due diligence. The end result is that, on June 3, your Board met and unanimously voted in favor of establishing an endowment to be held within the umbrella of the the Placer Community Foundation. Personally, I'm very excited about this move. While we may have a few years of work ahead of us to bump up the funding to a level that we want, I believe that, in years to come, we will look back on this move and be very glad that we did it. The beauty of whole idea is that the endowment will be a permanent thing that will fund our scholarships in perpetuity. Long after you and I are long gone, our endowment will still be providing aviation career help to our youth here in Auburn. That is a legacy that, I believe, we can all take great pride in. Meanwhile, where things stand right now, we've put about half as much into the endowment as we'd like to have. Our very energetic and creative Scholarship Director, Don Wolfe, has been brainstorming ways to finish it's funding, and you'll be hearing more about his efforts in months to come. Of course, we're open to your ideas, input and suggestions. More to come on this issue . . . . Our July Meeting This year, the first Wednesday of the month of July happens to fall on the day before our Independence Day holiday, so we decided to shift our meeting for this one month to the second Wednesday of the month. And it will be a somewhat special and unusual meeting in that we are planning to meet jointly with the Auburn chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). So anticipate a full room and a somewhat different meeting format than usual. I'm expecting it to be great fun, so please join us! Blue skies, Doug

Scholarship Update

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Wed, 29 May 2019 20:36:17 GMT

From Vice President Don Wolfe.

President Doug Fee invited me to sit at The Presidential Desk this month and pen the June message. The seat is soft, the coffee warm, the scheduled nap complete, here we go!

It's been a busy Spring at AAA. We?ve accomplished 3 Aviation Career and Interview Training Classes, conducted interviews, presented the 2019 Aviation Scholarship Awards, investigated the possibility of an Endowment Fund with Placer Community Foundation and had 5 monthly meetings with excellent guest speakers.

June's guest speaker Captain Joe Sobczak was forced to cancel due to an illness in the family. Tim Pinkney stepped up with an offer to give his presentation on JUNO. JUNO is America?s satellite spacecraft exploring Jupiter. We look forward to another outstanding performance by Tim, 'The Axeman'!

Looking forward, we'll be setting up the AAA Tent at Ben Foss' Soaring Saturdays on June 8th, 5 to 8 PM. Ben, Christian Watt and the event team plan to host at least three Saturday events this summer raising money for local charities. Volunteers will be needed to set up and man the AAA tent. We need a good turnout from our m em bership at ALL of these sum m er event s. Ben?s team is putting in a big effort and a lot of time into these programs and they need our support. It's a great opportunity to go to the airport for food, music, socializing and airplanes. See you there!

On July 10, (the second Wednesday) we?ll have a joint meeting with AAA and the local EAA Chapter 526. Our guest speaker Steve Kendall will be talking about the EAA Young Eagles Program here at Auburn airport. This nationwide mentoring program dovetails in with our ?Careers in Aviation?mentoring programs. The next Young Eagles Day is June 15, 2019. Bring your children to the airport for a free airplane ride and the opportunity to fly a simulator. The Young Eagles program might be the spark that ignites an interest in aviation for your child.

Summer days are just around the corner, the airplanes are flying, and Wings restaurant is forever popular. Come out to the airport and join the fun. Better yet, sign up for an intro ride at one of the local flight schools and discover the thrill of flight.

Mach 5 Aviation, Sierra Air Helicopters and Sunshine Flyers offer 'Intro rides'which allow you to actually fly the vehicle.

Every great journey begins with that first step.

Step Up and GO UP!

Cheerio,

Don "Wolfman" Wolfe

“To go west, my friend, is a flight we all must take for a final check."

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 18:33:13 GMT

From President Doug Fee

It happened this month. The Auburn Aviation Association lost two of our long-time, mainstay members and supporters. Jerry Poole passed away after several years of declining health. Jerry has been involved with the AAA for many years and, in a wider sense, has been a strong supporter of our local aviation community too. He spent the majority of his adult years in the field of aircraft sales and brokering. From all accounts, Jerry was a guy who gave the term "aircraft salesman" a good name. He seemed to be more concerned with helping his clients find the right airplane than he was to just make a quick sale. He had great stories about buying small fleets of military surplus Beech 18s and DC-3s, ferrying them to California, and then modifying them to civilian configurations for resale.

Jerry was also a good guy. He was relaxed and calm, and always seemed to have a smile on his face, as well as a kind word. He was a gentleman we will miss.

Duane Rueb also took his final flight west this month. Duane was born in South Dakota, but grew up mostly in the Sacramento area. He learned to fly many years ago in a Piper Tri-Pacer in Independence, Oregon. A man of many talents and interests, he was always quietly there in the background helping out with the Association's business and activities. As Wayne Mooneyham very aptly put it, Duane has been a permanent fixture in our organization for many years. That was his beautiful Kitfox that attracted so much attention as it rode on the back of a truck in the Fourth of July parade through downtown Auburn a few years ago. April 20th saw a standing room only crowd in the Barnstormer Room as we gathered to mark Duane's passing, and to express our appreciation of him.

I suppose that it is the nature of things that, as time marches on, we lose some of our friends and collaborators in life. But we don't have to like it. In this case, I think we can at least be partially mollified in our loss by considering some of the gains that we have received by way of the influx of some of our young new members. Our new members may never entirely take the place of stalwarts of our organization like Jerry and Duane, but we can still appreciate their new contributions to the Auburn Aviation Association.

Blue skies,

Doug

The Tin Goose is Coming to Town

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 18:51:07 GMT

From President Doug Fee

Wandering down the road, in the America of the 1920s, you might have seen a number of "Tin Lizzies", or Model T Fords, chuffing along the highway. And looking up in the sky, you might have also seen a "Tin Goose" grinding along overhead. Certainly a bygone era. However that era is going to make a brief visit to Auburn in April. The Experimental Aircraft Association's Ford 4-AT-ETri-motor will be here giving rides from Friday the 26th until Sunday the 28th. This airplane is truly a flying piece of aviation history. The first of these three-engine transports came off the assembly line in 1926, and they were a mainstay of the U.S.commercial aviation industry until they were ultimately replaced by the DC-2 and -3 some years later. Today there are only 18 Ford Tri-motors left, and less than half of those are currently flyable. At a time when we take it for granted that we can fly in shirt-sleeve comfort, and have a glass of wine with our hot dinner as we cruise along at Mach .85 above the weather, the Tri-motor is an anachronism. Unpressurized, noisy and bumping along at about 100 mph in your wicker basket seat, it was a different world. Or, to look at it another way, the airplane has approximately the same performance as a Cessna 150. So, imagine a coast-to-coast flight in a two-place Cessna, and that's about how long a trans-continental trip in a Ford Tri-motor would have taken back in the day. Amazingly, as ubiquitous as this icon of American aviation history was, there were actually only 199 of these Fords ever built. The EAA owns and operates NC8407, a Tri-Motor that was originally flown by Eastern Air Transport--a forerunner of Eastern Airlines. Seats will not be reserved, but will be available on a first come, first served basis for the day of purchase. Only 180 seats will be available over the three days of their operation here in Auburn. Purchase tickets online here. If you are interested in a springtime aviation adventure right here in Auburn, maybe this is the opportunity you are looking for. It is an exciting event for our airport!

Blue skies, Doug

He Hit The Ground Running

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 01:36:48 GMT

From President Doug Fee

This month I'd like to use this space to bring you up to date on some of our organizations current activities, and to send out kudos to one of our own. Don Wolfe is a guy who is doing double-duty for the Auburn Aviation Association. Not only is he our Vice-President, but he's also serving as our Scholarship Chairman. He has a long history of, and a passion for, mentoring young people who are pursuing their interest in aviation. It's a fairly regular event around the Auburn Airport to see him taking one of our scholarship recipients flying in his shiny Citabria to help hone their skills in a taildragger, or aerobatics, or some other area where help is needed. Now, as Scholarship Chairman, he is taking the opportunity to lead us in some new directions with that program. He is spearheading a drive to update our record keeping and to move much of our data to digital on-line storage. This will provide for significantly wider and more convenient access to all of our information. It will also give us better long term continuity. Ten years from now, when we want to know what scholarships we gave out in 2019, the information will be conveniently available with no more that a quick search of our database. I find this entrance into the digital era to be very promising for us. Another area where he has been re-thinking our Scholarship program relates to how we fund it. As many of you know, historically, a big portion of our funding came from our holding of the Auburn Air Fair. And while most of us would love to see the Air Fair continue, it's such a massive event to organize that we've had trouble coming up with adequate volunteer leadership to make it happen. So Don has been researching and trying to bring to fruition an old idea of our establishing an endowment that would become a permanent source of funding for our scholarships. It's a complicated endeavor that would most likely take a few years to phase in, but I also see promise in that. You'll probably be hearing more about the idea of an Auburn Aviation Association endowment in the months to come. Aside from his passion for mentoring, Don is a very energetic guy who is brimming with ideas, as well as a willingness to pursue them. So yes, coming into office, he has really "hit the ground running". Two thumbs up to Don Wolfe. Blue skies, Doug

Who Are We?

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 14:08:54 GMT

From President Doug Fee

Who Are We? Someone on the airport a while back asked me just what it was that the Auburn Aviation Association does. Which got me to thinking (yes, a painful process). What, and who, are we? What is our reason for being here? After thinking it over, as I see it, AAA serves three separate and distinct functions at our airport:

Airport Advocacy. We are a user's group. We work with the city and our airport manager to address the needs of the airport facility, as well as the wants of the airport users. I believe that we are fortunate to, at the present time, to have city leadership who has a positive attitude toward what the airport can contribute to the greater Auburn community. I say "fortunate" because there are many small airports today who are under siege from the local community. Not all small airports are as fortunate as we are in having a largely cooperative relationship with the local community's leaders.

Scholarship Program. Many would say that this is our most important function. We are willing and able to help to foster the future of both aviation, and our local youth. When you look at the quality and commitment of our scholarship recipients, its hard to not feel proud about our part in helping these fine young people. What could be more important, and more fulfilling, to us as an organization?

A Social Organization at the Airport. There are some who might discount the importance of this aspect of our organization. I would disagree with their assessment because the social component and the entertainment quality of our meetings draws members to the AAA. Why is that important? Because when we talk to the city or the FAA as an organization of 150 or so members of the airport community, we have credibility. If we had only twenty members, we could approach them and might not be taken seriously. Why? Because in a city the size of Auburn, twenty individuals is nothing. A group of only twenty would be seen as nothing more than a small batch of eccentric extremists who were "obsessed" with the airport and its issues. But as a group of 150 airport users, the city and the FAA will listen to us. In short, our numbers matter and give us credibility.

When it comes time to renew your membership, please consider doing so. Not only do membership dues help to fund our scholarships, but also your keeping your name active on our roster helps to improve our membership numbers, which in turn helps the association do its job of airport advocacy. For the price of a few trips to Starbucks, you get entertaining meetings where you can mix with friendly, like-minded folks, and help your association do good work at the airport. Seems like a win/win to me.

Blue Skies,

Doug Fee

Introducing New President Doug Fee

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 17:11:35 GMT

From President Doug Fee:

When I look back on Wayne Mooneyham's tenure as President of our association, I am awed by how much time he's put in to the AAA, and by what he's accomplished. Frankly, it's pretty intimidating to try to follow him. Upon being elected to the papacy, Pope Francis reputedly quipped to the cardinals, "May God forgive you for what you've done". In a similar vein folks, are you sure you really want me to take the reins from Wayne's capable hands?? He's going to be a tough act to follow.

In my time with the AAA, I've become acquainted with most of our members, but I'm sure that there are some of you who may be puzzled as to who I am. So, in a nutshell, this is me:

When I was an eleven-year-old, my dad learned to fly. He got his private pilot's license at Santa Monica Airport, where I would sit and watch the airplanes come and go while he took his lessons. When he finally received his license, I was his first passenger. He only flew for about six or seven years, and had a total of a little over 400 hours. However, I was with him for many of those hours. We flew from California to Texas multiple times to visit Mom's family. We flew my older brother to college in Utah. I had a lot of passenger time. Around the same time that Dad originally learned to fly, I also logged my first pilot time with a friend of his who was a CFI. Over the span of the next eight years I accumulated a grand total of 2.3 hours of dual instruction.

However, about the end of my freshman year in college, I started flying in earnest. By my junior year, I had my CFI and was flight instructing. After graduation, I continued instructing. I also flew charters and ferried airplanes--mostly new Cessnas from the factory in Wichita out to Southern California.

At the tender age of 25, with just under 4,000 hours in my logbook, I began what turned into a 35-year airline career. My airline years were pretty evenly split between the flying of domestic and international routes. And, of the time I spent flying international, the majority of it was heading westbound to the Pacific Rim. It was a good life.

But that was then . . . . . and this is now. As a pilot, my heart and my roots have always been in general aviation. Today, my flying is in a very fun little sports car of an airplane--an RV-6. Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to working with the city to continue to improve our airport, to helping Don Wolfe in his efforts to modernize our scholarship program, and to interacting with the membership of our organization. I think its going to be a great year!

Blue skies,

Doug

Next month: Who Are We?

Airport Improvements, New Officers, and Giving

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 19:32:49 GMT

From President Wayne Mooneyham

Holidays and winter have finally arrived with rain and cool weather clearing the smoke and haze. It has been a long dry summer and fall season and, as last year, a devastating fire season as well.

Today, as I put pen to paper on what is called “Black Friday,” I am reminded that we have an opportunity to be generous and giving in this time of thanksgiving. The bleak outlook for those evacuees who have lost all their possessions, homes, and in some cases, loved ones, in areas both north and south of our community must be overwhelm-ing. Many of our members have provided generous contributions and support to those affected - awesome!

It has been a busy year for our airport with all the activity connect-ed with the flight schools and FBO’s, Highway Patrol and helicopter operations. We now have a new “state of the art” AWOS System, LED runway marker lights and the long-awaited slurry sealing of the ramp area. However, the ramp/taxiways that serve fifty hangars on the west end - an area that is sorely in need of resurfacing, somehow got missed. That said…our airport community continues to thrive and our association is a key element in many of the activities.

As your outgoing President (three different terms) I would like to take this time to thank my fellow officers and directors for all of their encouragement and support that has made our organization run so smoothly this past year. Our association will be in some new and very capable hands - President Doug Fee and Vice President Don “Wolfman” Wolfe. Outgoing longtime Scholarship Chairman Walt Wilson hands over the reins to Don Wolfe who plans to implement a mentoring program in conjunction with the existing program…a very ambitious and worthy cause and one that we can all support. My plans are to remain an active and participating member of our flying fraternity.

My wish for you all is a wonderful holiday season and a New Year that brings happiness in all things. It has been my pleasure to serve…

Keep the shiny side up…

Wayne Mooneyham

Giving and Receiving

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 21:41:34 GMT

From Wayne Mooneyham, President

It’s that time of the year again - days are getting shorter, autumn leaves are changing colors and falling like rain - summer is over. Other things also happen about this time every year - like changing our clocks to Standard Time; families gathering for special days - Election Day - November 6th, Veteran’s Day - November 11th; Hanukkah - December 3rd; Thanksgiving and then onto Christmas - it’s a busy but wonderful ending for 2018. In the midst of all these celebrations we have our own Association elections. We have a slate of well qualified individuals that the Nominating Committee has vetted and are recommending at this month’s meeting - Wednesday, November 7th. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor.

Since this is a gifting and receiving time of the year, it is an excellent opportunity to consider donating to our Scholarship Program in order to help a deserving youth in their endeavors to pursue a career in aviation. Please keep in mind that our Association is a 501(c)3 organization for tax purposes. And, say… wouldn’t an engraved brick for the Bud Anderson monument, with a personalized inscription on it, look rather “keen” (an old school term) out there with Bud’s statue presiding over it?

As a closing note just to keep things in perspective, I have a quote that we can all live by… “Remember you are just an extra in everyone else’s play” (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Wayne Mooneyham, President

The Rewards of Volunteering

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 19:25:58 GMT

From President Wayne Mooneyham

Volunteering comes in many different forms and different degrees of responsibility but the ones we, as a society, are most accustomed to are related to civic opportunities. Examples of this include the privilege of registering to vote, serving in a organization, church, or on various committees. Benefits of volunteering can work both ways - for the organization or group or for the individual that is the volunteer. Many of us have experienced the satisfaction of accomplishment and reward that goes with giving of one’s effort and dedication for a worthy cause.

Our association is a perfect example of a successful organization that is supported and run by volunteers - people who willingly give of their time and expertise for the benefit of the membership. Are their efforts appreciated? Oh, yes, you bet they are! Our association officers and directors positions are coming up for election soon and the time for consideration of some new faces and fresh input is upon us. If you have the required expertise and drive for one of these offices now is the time to let the Nominating Committee know of your interest. Access our bylaws here.

And, speaking of volunteering, many of us attended the “Biggest Air Show in California” this past September 21, 22 and 23. The event, the California Capital Airshow, coincided with the 100th anniversary of Mather Field as an active military airbase. A number of our members worked at the event - part of an army of several hundred - you guessed it…”volunteers.” Thanks to all who participated!

I’m looking forward to seeing you all at our October meeting! Thought for the day - Endeavor to make someone’s day better…

Wayne Mooneyham, President

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 22:56:18 GMT

From President Wayne Mooneyham

“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” was a product of all the ﬁres in our state for the month of August which reminded me of a popular song by that title written in the early 30’s and recorded by many well-known artists. It ﬁnally made Number One on the charts by the Platters in 1959, coincidentally, the same year that I acquired my Private Pilot’s License. This whimsical connection to the hazy smoke conditions coupled with some record temperatures made for unfavorable ﬂying weather - which meant mostly ﬂight pattern practice for most of us.

Mather Airport is celebrating its 100th anniversary of service in conjunction with California Capital Airshow this September 21st, 22nd and 23rd. The USAF Thunderbirds are featured along with a lineup of world class performers and an amazing array of static aircraft and displays. If you have never, or even recently, attended this annual airshow, then I suggest now is your opportunity to check off this Bucket List item.

Friday Flydays at our airport has proven to be very well attended and the last one for the year turned out to be, ﬁnancially, the most rewarding of all of them. A reduction of the smoky air and cooler temperatures seemed to be key components of the well attended event. Kudos to all who organized and participated in this “airport friendly” gathering.

Our AWOS (Automated Weather Observing System) is scheduled to be operative September 4th or 5th and the runway LED lights installation begins September 10th with completion by (hopefully) the 15th. This LED lighting phase will be done during the night hours in order to minimize airport down time.

Here’s hoping we have some CAVU (Ceiling and Visibility Unrestricted) weather conditions for the month of September which will encourage us to ﬂy a bit more!

Enjoy your Labor Day holiday and be safe.

Wayne Mooneyham

President

KAUN Airport Projects

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 02:44:56 GMT

From Doug Fee Vice-President

Long hot sunny days, warm evenings, and VFR weather . . . . . summer is in full swing around the Auburn Airport. And fortunately, we've had very little smoke so far this fire season (knock on wood). Here's hoping that the ethereal forces that control the weather and the fires continue to treat us kindly until we are rescued by the coming of autumn.

This summer is also seeing another successful season of Friday Flydays put on by the Ben Foss and Diane Hammer team. Our thanks go to them for making this outstanding community event happen. If you haven't been to one yet, there is still time. They are held the 3rd Friday evening of each month, so the next one will be August 17th, from 6:00 until 8:00 PM. Each month has a different theme, and the August event will be a Law Enforcement fundraiser. Admission is free, so come out and enjoy the family fun!

We also have numerous airport projects in the works to maintain and upgrade our facilities. In late July or early August, the runway will be closed from 10:00 PM until 5:00 AM, five nights a week for about two weeks, while crews install new LED runway lighting. Watch the NOTAMS for final scheduling.

The airport experienced a brief power outage recently. It didn't last long but, unfortunately, the resumption of power service generated a spike that damaged some of the phone lines at the airport. This took down the credit card system at the fuel pumps, and also damaged some of the AWOS (weather reporting) equipment. While the credit card system is back working again, the AWOS still needs some new components to be installed before it will be back up to full utility. Those repairs are in the works, but might take a few more months. Meanwhile, we'll have to look out the window to see what the weather really is. I guess that's why we have windsocks.

Airport management is also planning a new slurry seal on our ramp area. The project is currently out for bid, and its hoped that it can be completed before the wet season arrives. Additionally, an upgrade to the waste water handling system at the aircraft wash rack is in the works.

So the summer marches on, and so do the seasonal airport projects. Our thanks to Walt Wilson and all of those at the City of Auburn who help to make these improvements happen.

Blue skies & tailwinds,

Doug

Membership Roster Now Available by Mobile Phone App

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Sun, 22 Jul 2018 00:29:04 GMT

AAA Directory information is now available on your smart phone. Go to the app store and search for “Wild Apricot.” Select the version called Wild Apricot for Members. Wild Apricot is the company we use to host our member information online. Use the login you have created on the AAA website to login to the mobile app. You can view your own listing and see and search a list of other member profiles and their information. If you want to make changes to your profile or change your privacy settings, you can log in at your desk computer. Chris Haven can help you with questions: aaacomm1539@gmail.com or 530-401-6082.

Scholarships Awarded, Air Fair Canceled

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Sun, 01 Jul 2018 19:17:30 GMT

From Wayne Mooneyham, President

By now it’s general knowledge that our airport will not be hosting an air fair this year. Several obstacles loomed large midway through the planning, implementing and organizing all the pieces of an event of this caliber. The sudden and tragic passing of Dan Buchanan, hang glider pilot, who was to be the featured attraction and performer was the coup-de-gras in making a “Go, No- Go” decision regarding the event. There were other mitigating factors such as slow commitments of funding and a lack of volunteers for some key positions that contributed to the eventual disappointing cancellation. Having hosted the event for many years, our members understand what it takes to put an event like this together and we extend our thanks to the team for all their commitment and efforts.

There’s good news though - Auburn Airport is a hub of activity this summer with a variety of functions. Friday Flydays is held on the 3rd Friday through September and Mach5 movie nights will be on the following Saturday each month. Additionally, our EAA Chapter 526 has their Young Eagle program (ages 8 - 17 yrs) and this year they are adding something new. Adults interested in learning to fly can participate in a mentoring program which will provide an introductory flight and information on flight schools if the participant wants to start lessons.

Our June meeting was very special. Three scholarship recipients were announced - Frank Bell and Renata Mackenroth received $2,500 each and Kelly Bruno received $1,000. Additionally, awards were presented to Jaian Jimenez and Jeanie Marshall for their excellence in their class at Sacramento City College. They each received $1,000 to cover the cost of the required test in order to get their mechanic’s license. Their proud instructor, Kevin Goehring, Professor of Aeronautics, was also present. We had over 60 in attendance!

That’s it for this issue. I’m off for some Idaho Back Country flying with a few of our Auburn pilots. Thought for the month: Tomorrow is a new day - use it wisely!

Wayne Mooneyham, President

Northern California Airshows and Hot Weather Flying

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Wed, 30 May 2018 16:03:47 GMT

From Doug Fee, Vice President

As of this publication date, its only about three weeks until the longest day of the year and, here in the foothills, the beginning of the summer flying season is upon us. To me, that brings three things to mind: Heat, VFR weather and AIRSHOWS! Heat. Whether you love it or hate it, its coming. And along with that heat come changes in the performance of your air machine. Even at the moderate altitudes of our airports here locally, on a hot day, you can see density altitudes that will result in aircraft performance reminiscent of serious mountain flying. Are you ready? VFR weather. Woo hoo! Clear skies almost every day! But keep in mind that, when its hot inland, the typical Northern California weather pattern will often bring low clouds to the coastline. During the summer, AUN can be clear and in the 90s, while Half Moon Bay might have a low overcast, and be in the 60s with drizzle. Also, while we don't get the sort of heavy infusion of thunderstorms that are prevalent in the Midwest and the South, its not uncommon to see some significant afternoon cumulus build-ups over the Sierras. Just enough to keep your flying life interesting! And, finally Airshows! We've got some good ones coming up to put on your calendar: The Truckee-Tahoe Air Show will be held July 14. Just a short, beautiful drive up into the Sierras--or only 49 nm by air. The California Capitol Air Show will be September 21, 22 & 23 at Mather Field. We are truly fortunate to have one of our state's premier aviation events just a hop, skip and a jump down the road from us. Only 31 miles by car, or 26 nm by air. There's no good reason not to go and rub elbows with some of our Auburn locals who will be there. The USAF Thunderbirds will be performing this year. The Auburn Air Fair is scheduled for September 29. It is even closer than Mather Field. In fact, its located exactly ZERO miles from us. This year’s theme is "Honoring Our First Responders." Come out, join the fun, and help support our aviation community here in Auburn. And finally, San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show to be held on the waterfront October 6 & 7, a spectacle that will include the USN Blue Angels. Go out there and enjoy all those things that our Northern California aviation community has to offer in family entertainment this season! Blue skies, smooth air & tailwinds, Doug Fee P.S. For more fun family entertainment, don't forget that Diane Hammer and Ben Foss are spearheading "Fly-Day Fridays" again this year. Third Friday evening each month. Next one will be June 15th.

Scholarship Interviews, Friday Flydays, Hangar Movie Night

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Tue, 01 May 2018 20:26:38 GMT

From Wayne Mooneyham, President

As per my usual modus operandi of “wait ’til the deadline is upon me” before I lay a pen to paper for the President’s Message, here I am once again up against a hard deadline of tonight. The good news is that ideas for this endeavor spring forth as if the waters are gushing over the spillway, i.e., think of the Lake Orville debacle - total chaos and confusion.

Obviously, spring is upon us - and with it comes wonderful weather and long days filled with outings, meetings, destination flying and the never ending yard work. Social activities at our gem airport abound - it’s time to take to the skies! All of these things translate to almost overlapping events on any given day.

Walt Wilson, our Scholarship Chairman, reports that the interview process for our 13 applicants will take place Saturday, April 28th, which is also the same day to display your vintage aircraft or to attend the mountain flying seminar at Lincoln Airport. Yours truly is committed to all of these functions and is an example of what I was referring to - i.e., overlapping events on the spring calendar.

The AAA Board of Directors will have met to discuss a number of issues that need to be resolved by the time members receive this. Friday, May 18th at 1700 hrs kicks off the summer monthly “Friday Flydays” charitable event series. The first month’s beneficiary is the Bud Anderson Scholarship Program. WWII aircraft and jeeps, plus a DC-3 and free BBQ guarantee lots of entertaining things to do.

As many of you know we are in the process of trying to acquire a different airport radio frequency (122.775) from the FCC. This is a safety issue due to the frequent interference with several other airports. This is now in the “Application Process” with the FCC. If granted, there will be plenty of notice before it is put into use.

Don Wolfe, our Scholarship Program Development Director, reports that we’ve added a NEW Scholarship Fund Donation ‘DONATE” tab to the AAA Membership Renewal page. This will enable you to make an optional, voluntary contribution to the Scholarship Fund when you log in to renew your membership or at any other time. The donation is tax deductible. As a reminder, since we are no longer sponsoring the biannual Auburn Air Fair, donations are our main source for supporting our scholarship program. Thanks to Captain Wolfe for his ongoing

contributions to our organization.
Hope to see you the first Wednesday each

month—entertaining speakers, good food and an opportunity to socialize with fellow aviation enthusiasts makes for a great way to spend one of these spring/summer evenings.

Thought for the month - “Don’t Procrastinate.”

Regards,
Wayne Mooneyham, President

Auburn Air Fair, Quest for a Unique Frequency for Auburn

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Sun, 01 Apr 2018 20:38:35 GMT

From President Wayne Mooneyham

The Auburn Air Fair Committee held their ninth meeting the evening of February 15th with at least a dozen volunteers in attendance, including “yours truly” for my first time. The group is very organized and has plans for what will be a superb event for our airport. September 29th should be a grand gathering of many different types of aircraft on static display not to mention all of the entertaining activities for the youth and we who are young at heart! Flight simulators, jump houses, possibly a rock climbing wall, collector-car display and a variety of “fly-by’s” of military aircraft are just a few of the attractions planned. Checkout their website www.auburnairfair.com for complete details. Also, they are recruiting volunteers to help in a variety of areas so if you would like to participate let them know.

It has been brought to my attention that a bit more caution needs to be taken concerning where our prop wash is directed during our engine check in the run up area at the east end (R/W 25). There are several taxiway alleys between the east end hangars that are affected with debris by the aircraft that are tailed toward them. A little care and courtesy will pay big goodwill dividends.

A safety issue that our airport has been co-existing with for years is the multiple users of airport VHF frequency 122.7. This frequency is shared with several other airports within interference range and on any given day you may be transmitting your flight intentions at the same time as someone else. The transmissions of both aircraft is therefore missed by everyone on this frequency. A good example of a shared user would be the Nut Tree Airport. We are in the process of investigating how to change to 122.775 which has no duplication in Northern California. I will keep you updated on this important issue.

Thought for the month: Pursue your goals.

Wayne Mooneyham President

Avoiding Hangar Blasting and other Airport Etiquette Suggestions

Chris Haven - Bronze Life Member — Sun, 01 Apr 2018 20:31:42 GMT

From Wayne Mooneyham, President

Recently I was chatting with a couple of pilots while standing in the taxiway between rows Bravo and Charlie critiquing the excellent takeoff and landing skills of a young pilot in a tailwheel aircraft.Turns out this young man, let’s call him “Lance,” has just recently acquired his instrument rating and we were watching him now fly his solo flights in a tailwheel aircraft on his way to an endorsement in same.

While this was transpiring, a pair of airplanes taxied into the runup area and positioned themselves with the tails pointed toward the open hangars where we were standing. The result was all the debris from the area was blown into the hangars. Right away our conversation changed from Lance’s speed control and flight profiles to their lack of situational awareness and courtesy when operating aircraft in the vicinity of other aircraft and buildings. I recently read an AOPA article where it was called “hangar blasting.” Additionally, be aware of aircraft behind you and keep propwash from blasting them, too. I have touched on this subject before, but it is worth reiterating - watch where you aim all that wind.

Speaking of young pilots, our organization will soon interview applicants for our flight scholarships. Additionally, DonWolfe is putting together a program to mentor our youth regarding “how to prepare for an interview.” More information on these activities will be forthcoming soon. Safety is key when flying is involved and radio communication is a big part of flying safely. Our application for a frequency change at our airport is in the pipeline. The application must be filed by the City of Auburn. Walt Wilson and I met with the City representative last week and the first step of the application process is now underway. Our goal is to have an exclusive frequency for our busy destination airport. As most of you are aware - we share our frequency with several other airports and our transmissions are often“stepped on” resulting in a loud squeal rather than a radio call. This can be a very real safety hazard. Safety is the main reason for requesting the frequency change.

On the subject of things in progress, our Airport Layout PlanUpdate/Narrative Report (ALP) is in the final stages of County, City and FAA acceptance. This Plan by Jacobs Engineering of Colorado has been a lengthy process but will serve us through 2035. Thought for the month - Be aware when flying and driving.

Regards,
Wayne Mooneyham