The scheduled July 5th meeting was postponed on account of rain but was held on July 12th under very nice (albeit hot) flying conditions. Approximately 18 members were present. The first thing immediately apparent to those present was a 400 foot long asphalt strip recently laid down the center of the runway... yes folks - we have pavement!
First of all however, please take the time to welcome a new member: Robert Carrasco! Robert is a sport flier. Many happy landings (and watch out for the puckerbrush)!
Treasurer Carlos Rangel initiated the meeting with a financial report
of the club and a report on the runway. At the beginning of July, the
club's largest expenditure to date
was made - a check written for $7500 for runway paving. At the time
of the meeting, the club balance was $407.05. We expect it will climb
as more assessments come in.
The pavement was cast during the week of July 2 and looks to be in very
good shape, with minimal ``steps'' at the ends. All members present
at the meeting were very happy (some ecstatic) with the initial
quality. If you haven't flown from it yet, you should!
Additional effort is needed to make the dirt-asphalt interface
seamless, but this is nothing a little dirt-moving can't solve. By the
third summer of operation, we should seal the runway; a note was made at the
meeting that this should be done sooner. (over )
A number of people deserve kudos for their efforts in making the field upgrade possible. It's worthy of mention to thank Marv Kea, Carlos Rangel and Rick Scanlon for leading the movement to pave the runway. Thanks to many folks, including Howard Brown and Bob Goodrich for their involvement, time and expertise ... and thanks to everyone for selling those raffle tickets that made this financially possible! As mentioned in the last Newsletter, thanks also go to TRCC for donating $200 to our cause.
Trainer update: the club trainer is in the hands of Newell Whetstone. He's building and covering it, and we should expect to see it back up within the month.
The gate lock... is NOT to be fiddled with! Marv Kea had it fixed; apparently many have taken the opportunity to lubricate the lock - please DON'T do this! If it's getting stuck, tell the officers and it will be addressed promptly - but don't oil it yourself. It makes a mess and exacerbates the problem.
On August 9th, the week after the general meeting, there will be a Breakfast Fly-In. Jerry Knebel will be cooking breakfast (mmmm, thanks Jerry) and there will be two or three flying events for you to test your skills on! A list of possible events was drawn up by Keith ``Bear'' Brock... these include the Bean Race (attach a cup with 10 beans to your plane, fly a course, your score is dictated by the number of beans still in the cup), Squirrel Cage (takeoff, loop, roll, land, as quickly as possible), Climb and Glide (60 second climb, cut the engine, glide as long as you can and make a spot landing), Carrier Landing, Lawn Dart (a taxi-ing ``drag'' race), and Free Style... among others, if that's possible! It looks like a lot of fun; hope to see you all there... starting at 7:30 AM!
The annual Labor Day Night-Fly will be held on the weekend of September 5-6; the exact day will be announced at the August meeting and in the next Newsletter, pending the evening activities at the race track and drag strip.
As you may notice, we've lost a couple of instructors. If you'd like to instruct new pilots, please step forward and be recognized! :) It's a lot of fun.
The SAM Board met and discussed a ``3-5 year plan'' for upgrades to our field. Among these issues include a solution to our wayward outhouse, cementing in the flight box, acquiring a roller, and overhauling the ramada awnings, which fill with water in heavy rains. If you have other concerns, please let us know at the next meeting.
Finally, the nature of the new-member initiation fee was raised in light of the assessment and the new runway. After much discussion, the current plan is to charge $150 for the first year (including the assessment and membership fee) and the usual $25 or $35 for every year thereafter. Junior members joining alone pay 1/2 of the fees. Families pay the standard $150 for the adult member, plus $17.50 for each junior member for the first year, and just the annual dues thereafter. If you have comments or concerns about this issue, please raise them!