By Jerry Rosie (USUA #A86096)
It is easy to see that summer is over by the decrease in the number of newsletters received at USUA Headquarters and by the content of those we did receive. Very little in the way of planned events was available, but a number of newsletters highlighted some of the great times ultralighters had during the past summer. Here are just a few of the interesting events and experiences reported by USUA clubs and members from across the country.
Starting out on the left coast, the San Diego Ultralight Association (Club #024) reported on their six-day flight to the Grand Canyon. This trip, supported by a two-member ground crew who provided fuel, clean clothing, repair parts and local transportation; covered about 1200 miles and involved 10 airports. Geza Hambalko, the President of SDUA, says that the group met some very wonderful people on their trip. To quote part of his article "I will always remember the gas truck attendant at Kingman who sold us unleaded gas he had for his ground handling equipment. As we mentioned that we would be back in a few days, he offered to leave his car for us to go downtown in the event he was not there.....At Clark, the little old couple that managed the place invited us in for coffee and cookies. At Page, we were given the security key to the ramp so that we could drive up to our airplanes. The local mechanic stayed overtime and loaned us his tools to fix a late-night flat tire.!" All of which is a valuable part of the "Ultralight Experience" - good folks doing good things for good folks...
The Ultralog from Ultralight Squadron of America at Perris Valley Airpark, Perris, California writes that their annual Christmas party will be used to collect Toys-For-Tots in cooperation with the local Marine Corps League. They have also proposed five fly-ins for the coming year. They will be held in February, April, May, June and October. These events have been added to our database and we will announce these activities later in the "Events Section" of this web site.
The Black Mesa Fliers (Club #555) from Prescott, Arizona, reported on the Prescott Air Fair sponsored by the city of Prescott. This annual event was held on October 4th and it was the largest ever. It featured a number of historic aircraft, including a B-17, Ford Trimotor, P-51, C-47 and a half scale model of the Wright Flyer.
From the KC Flyers Newsletter we receive a "heads up" about "Ultralight Radio" at www.ultraflightradio.com. This broadcast is live on Tuesday mornings at 10:00 AM Eastern, 9:00 AM Central, 8:00 AM Mountain and 7:00 AM Pacific Time. There is also an archive of previous broadcasts. Listeners will find this helpful if they miss the live broadcast. The President of USUA Club #081 also reports that the webmaster for a Challenger group at www.challengers101.com is looking for off-field landing stories. If you want to share the thrills of your engine out, visit that web site and send them your story.
The Terre Haute Ultralight Club reports that their treasurer, Niles Newton, won the Aerosports Connection powered parachute National Championship held at Three Rivers, Michigan over the Labor Day Weekend. Way to go, Niles!! This organization also reminds us that the Indiana Safety Seminar will be held on Saturday March 6, 2004 in the Hyperlink Room of Ivy Tech College Building at Hulman Field. The committee chaired by Dave Atlogic and members Bob Bedwell, Pat and Lester Morrison and Don Willis, want topic suggestions for this upcoming event. Eight members of THUC attended the Sullivan Airport EAA Chapter's Airport Days and reported that they were warmly received and none of them experienced hostility against ultralighters that was reported at some airports in the past. Could it be that we are finally gaining acceptance in the aviation community?
The Sport Flyer from Marietta, Georgia, reports that paperwork is being finalized for the opening of an Ultralight Air Park in Lake Guntersville, Alabama. It is nice to see at least one reversal of the recent trend of airport closings! Also in this issue of the club newsletter, we were treated to the fourth part in the series of Lloyd "Doc" Burns' memories of his experiences as a young B17 pilot. In this edition, he tells us of how the new crew learned to trust each other and become an efficient team. He writes about the pressure of making command decisions at the tender age of nineteen. With his new crew trained and ready, they all departed Souix City in a new B17 and eventually arrived at their new base in Prestwick, Scotland. We hope there is more to come.
The Mountaineer Fun Flyers (Club #161) of Pence Springs, West Virginia, asked us to consider four safety-related questions:
And now USUA introduces a new feature to ATP which, by the way, is another example of 'good folks doing good things for good folks'.....
Each month, USUA wants to feature an article or news story from a different USUA club. We encourage club members to contact us if they have an interesting story to tell. They can do this by sending an email to Carol Plotnick. To kick off this new feature, Steve Yogodzinski of USUA Club #201 (Millennium Flyers) writes about the benefit fly-ins they hold in support of Mercy Medical Airlift. Great job, folks!
Flyers Support Emergency Assistance and Try to Save Endangered Airport
by Steve Yogodzinski
Millennium Flyers (USUA Club #201) has sponsored a benefit fly-in at Chambersburg Airport, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for Mercy Medical Airlift for the past four years. It has been a rich and rewarding experience for a small group of individuals.
It all started in December of 1998. A group of six ultralight enthusiasts got together to form what is now the Millennium Flyers. Once formed, the club decided that they would like to give something back to the community in the form of a benefit fly-in. Having little or no background in fundraisers, the club pulled together and started on its chosen mission. The first decision was for whom to have the benefit? Many a charity organization was discussed, but we wanted something more. This charity should have meaning to our organization and be of value to our community from an aviation viewpoint.
The inspiration for our decision was a local pilot, Mr. Jerry Edwards. Mr. Edwards is based at Chambersburg and flies for many patient air transport organizations like Angel Flight. Mr. Edwards is a quiet country gentleman who flew T-33's and C-54's for the U.S. Air Force during the 50's. Mr. Edwards has a long history of volunteerism -- well over 10 years of service transporting patients and organs. One of his more memorable missions was a lung transplant patient. Jerry has delivered livers and corneas, among other organs, in addition to patients from local hospitals. He has flown them to places as far away as Cincinnati, Ohio and Boston, Massachusetts.
The next day the club searched the Web for Angel Flight. Phone calls were placed and after a few referrals, we were directed to Mr. Steve Patterson of Mercy Medical Airlift. Mr. Patterson was very helpful. He provided us with information, brochures and a promise to attend our first fly-in at Chambersburg Airport.
The next step was to canvas the local business community for donations, in exchange for advertising space at the local Fixed Based Operator. Part of the fundraising involved silk-screened T-shirts which listed the sponsors' names. Over the public address system, we promoted many companies (with small advertising budgets) whenever we raffled the items they provided. The grand prize has been a tandem-skydive each year from Chambersburg Skydiving Center. One year a local wood carver attending the event was so impressed that he donated many exquisitely detailed carvings for the raffle.
The first year we held our event, Steve Patterson of Mercy Medical Airlift informed us that our efforts paid off in a big way. A local mother's son lived in Alaska and was in need of medical attention that could only be obtained in Houston, Texas. The major obstacle to receiving his treatment were airline tickets. Upon learning about our fly-in and Mercy Medical Airlift in the local paper, she called her son and then he contacted Mercy Medical Airlift. A flight from Anchorage, Alaska to Houston, Texas was coordinated and the young man received his treatment.
One of our club members has first-hand experience of how valuable this volunteer service is. In late 1998, his grandmother was flown from Jasper, Alabama to Manassas, Virginia for treatment. The flight was made possible by a two-star general stationed in the Virginia Beach area who flew his King Air.
On Saturday, November 8, 2003, a patient with a rare immune deficiency and his wife were traveling back to their home from treatment in Boston. The first leg pilot with a Beech Baron flew from Boston to Chambersburg and met up with Jerry Edwards. Jerry then flew the couple to their home in Ohio and returned to Chambersburg.
The Millennium Flyers sponsor four-fly-ins each year. The club dues and a covered dish supper pay for our spring, fall and anniversary (New Year's Day) events. These are open to everyone. Our main event is the July fly-in for Mercy Medical Airlift and is the only event for which we ask for outside support.
This year, 2003, was crucial for Chambersburg Airport, our club's home base. The Chambersburg Borough Council has announced that it wants out of the airport business and has notified us that they wish to put the airport up for sale, with a possible closure in January 2004. This will have a direct impact upon USUA Club #201 and it's ability to support our charity, Mercy Medical Airlift. The Millennium Flyers, Chambersburg Skydiving Center, the local aircraft owners and concerned citizens have formed a group to fight for the airport. We have gone to the Chambersburg Town Council on numerous occasions to try and change their view of the airport. We have attempted to show that the indirect benefits of an airport outweigh the cost of ownership. For critical care or analysis that cannot be accomplished locally, our local hospitals use the airport to fly patients, organs and tissue samples to other hospitals. The two mechanics and the skydivers at the airport bring in revenue to the local community, which in an economic recession is necessary to help the local economy. Many local residents use the airport as a park for weekend entertainment. They either watch the aircraft land and depart or they watch the skydivers. Many area business managers, families of college students and political candidates use the Chambersburg Airport to meet clients, pickup and drop off supplies or attend community fundraisers. It is the quality-of-life events that make the airport such a vital and integral part of the community's infrastructure.
Don and Nancy Carpenter, a retired truck driver and his wife of fifty years, travel from Hagerstown, Maryland, every weekend to watch the skydivers and pilots. They are not skydivers or pilots themselves. They enjoy the airport and what it has to offer individuals and the community. Since April 2003, they have collected over 1,800 signatures on a petition to keep the airport open. These signatures have come solely from visitors to the Chambersburg Airport. The petition will be presented to the Chambersburg Borough Council as proof the airport is being used by more than just a few individuals and that these individuals see the importance the airport plays as an integral part of a healthy community.
FOR MORE INFORMATION on Mercy Medical, Please see the web site: www.mercymedical.org. The web site explains what Mercy Medical Airlift is about, who they are, how to qualify for assistance and for those with a passion for flying and helping others - how to become a pilot for Mercy Medical Airlift.