Meetings & Events

Please read our COVID-19 precautions below

     As you know, COVID-19 and other commuicable diseases are still with us and a serious threat to health, so your attendance at this meeting is ENTIRELY VOLUNTARY. If you are fearful of catching the virus or any other communicable disease, then we'll understand if you decide not to come. If you are sick in any way, we request that you please DO NOT COME. If you have have had any variant of Covid-19 recently, or if you have any type of underlying health condition(s), we suggest that you consider whether or not you really should come. Although the vulnerablity of those of us vaccinated has lessened substantially, there are new variants and new vaccines. However, if you are tired of being stuck at home, this is an excellent opportunity to get out and socialize with your like-minded aviation friends. Also, it's very important to keep a reasonable SOCIAL DISTANCE and to WASH YOUR HANDS often. Those safety measures are intended as much for the protection of others, as well as for yourself, Thank you all for for your cooperation and understanding. We certainly don't want anyone to get sick by attending any of our events. State and local regulations are constantly changing, so if there are further restriction, we'll let you know.
Next Meeting - Buckeye Farms - April 28th, 2024 - 12:00 to 4:00pm EDT

Here are some aerial photos of Buckeye Farms. Click on each photo to enlarge it.
Top Left: Entering LDW for Buckeye Farms; Top Center: Southeast (31) runway towards Aiken; Top Right: Northwest (13) runway towards Barnwell

When & Where?
    Our next chapter meeting has been rescheduled from Sunday, April 21st to Sunday, April 28th due to bad weather. The times will remain the same from approximately 12:00pm until 4:00pm EDT at the peaceful country farm/hangar/home of Dave and Tammy Gardner just south of WIlliston, SC. The alternate (rain date) for the event will be the following Sunday, April 28th The general format for our meetings is as follows. Specific times may vary.

                                                    TIME                                     ACTIVITY
                                                  12:00pm - 1:00pm: Members and guests start arriving, socializing & setting up food
                                                    1:00pm - 2:00pm: Lunch is served.
                                                    2:00pm - 2:30pm: Business, information, discussions
                                                    2:30pm - 3:00pm: Presentation (If any)
                                                    3:00pm - 4:00pm: Members & guests depart

Coordinates & Overview
     The coordinates for Buckeye Farms are: N33.3717, W81.4639 (click to view on Google Earth) expressed in minutes and decimal minutes.Those coordinates will put you right in front of Dave's hangar about midway down the runway. The runways are 31 (SE to NW towards Aiken) and 13 (NW to SE towards Barnwell). The runway is roughly 2,520' long (measured on Google Earth). Elevation is approximately 310 feet MSL. Since Barnwell Airport (KBNL) is fairly close, Buckeye observes their same CTAF 122.8 frequency, so use that frequency, but also realize that frequency is fairly congested and used by a number nearby airports, including Barnwell, Aiken, Allendale & Walterboro. You can normally see Barnwell Airport from the air towards the southeast, approximately 10 miles away. The runway patterns are on the "hangar side" of the runway to the south ... left pattern for 31 and right pattern for 13. The following directions are fairly detailed, so it's recommended that you print them off and take them with you, especially if driving. Note the top photos above taken from different angles. Click on each one to enlarge it. It's also recommended that you take a look on Google Earth at the coordinates given above. You may also wish to do an aerial reconnaissance overhead before landing to see the lay of the land and runway personally.

Flying In?
     Again, the runways are 31 and 13 (see above). Depending on the winds, runway 31 is the recommended runway IN, and 13 is the recommended runway OUT.

     Unless the winds dictate otherwise, Dave's recommended landing procedure is to enter a LEFT HAND PATTERN for runway 31 on the SOUTH side of the runway and then make a DESCENDING LEFT TURN generally into that left "dog leg" near the threshold of 31. Then, straighten out slightly to the left and proceed straight down the runway. Obviously, it's important to have traffic only ONE WAY IN. As mentioned earlier, due to it's proximity to Barnwell County Airport located about 10 miles away, Dave uses 122.8 as his advisory frequency so monitor that fequency. It may not be possible for some aircraft to make that sharp turn flying straight into the cut out, so make it as straight in as you can, but try not to fly over Dave's neighbor's house and the tall hickory tree on that property. If you need to go around, note there is a power line with two orange balls at the end of 31. They are hard to see, so make your decision early to avoid it. However, there is an open field just beyond that power line, just in case you have an emergency.

     Dave recommends that you take off the opposite way, using runway 13, if possible. It's not difficult to taxi through the trees nor on your takeoff roll. There's a cleared area at the end which has enough room to turn your aircraft around. Upon takeoff, make a slight right turn out roughly through the dog leg, being careful to avoid that hickory tree and the neighbor's house. Note also that a RESTRICTED area is located about 4 miles to the west for the Savannah RIver Plant, but it should not be difficult to avoid, especially if you take off on 13.

Driving Down?
     If you'd rather drive down instead, the address is 5095 Fellowship Road located 4.2 miles south of Williston, SC. Navigate to Willison. Then, head WEST on MAIN STREET. Then, bare LEFT at the fork a hundred yards or so after passing "Meeting on Main" restaurant until you come to a stoplight. Take a SHARP LEFT at the stoplight. Look for the Highway #39 sign and follow it from that point. GPS and phone access past Williston tends to be erratic, so I suggest that you write down the following directions or take a map with you. Roughly 4 miles from Williston, look for Young Rosemary Church on the left and just past that church look for the small Fellowship Road sign on your left. (Note: If you get to the intersection of Hwy #278, you've gone too far.) Take a LEFT on Fellowship Road, then look for the 1st mailbox on the right about 0.2 miles further up across the paved road from Ebenezer Baptist Church. There's a narrow dirt road on your right by the mailbox. That is the private driveway which winds around to Dave and Tammy's hangar/home. Be careful because the road to the hangar/home crosses the runway, so stop there and look carefully for aircraft before crossing. See the location on Google maps by clicking here. You can park your plane or automobile on either side of the hangar near the entrance road, but well off the runway please. It's recommended that you put Dave's cellphone number into your cellphone (which I will give you in a separate email) for directions in case you get lost.
Other Information
     We'll plan to have lunch from around 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT. See the menu below, which I will add to as members and guests volunteer food. The menu will be based on hamburgers and hotdogs. We'd appreciate it if you can bring a "covered" dish (e.g. baked beans, veggies, casseroles, salads), a dessert, some tea, or other beverage. If so, let me know, and I'll add it to the menu below. Any donations will be appreciated and will be used for food reimbursements. Athough this will mostly be a social event, we'll also likely have a short business meeting after the meal. Ron Angerman has graciously agreed to bring tables and chairs for the luncheon and meeting.

+--------------------------------------------------+
Lunch Menu
+--------------------------------------------------+
Hamburger Patties (60-80, 4-ounce) - Libby & Randy Berry
Hotdogs (50, all beef) - Libby & Randy Berry
Hamburger Buns (80) - Debbie & Larrry Philbin
Hotdog Buns (48) - Debbie & Larry Philbin
Baked Beans - Debbie & Larry Philbin
Baked Beans - Lastinger Family
Potato Chips (individual bags)- Debbie & Larry Philbin
Coleslaw - Tammy & Dave Gardner
Macaroni Salad - Debbie & Larry Philbin
Tortellini Pasta Salad - Kent Sidel
Broccoli Salad - Debbie & Dave Hardy
Potato Salad - Lastinger Family
Corn Casserole - Mike Moore
Cucumber, Tomato & Onion Salad - Tammy & Dave Gardner
Lettuce, Tomato, Onion (for burgers) - Libby & Randy Berry
Cheese (for burgers) - Debbie & Larry Philbin
Chili (for hotdogs) - Libby & Randy Berry
Relish (for hotdogs) - Linda & Jim Matthews
Chopped Onions (for hotdogs) - Libby & Randy Berry
Banana Pudding - Libby & Randy Berry
Apple Pie - Phil Barnes
Keylime Pie - Debbie & Dave Hardy
A Dessert - Debbie & Larry Philbin
A Dessert - Linda & Jim Matthews
Tea (1-diet sweet) - Libby & Randy Berry
Tea (1-sweet, 1-unsweet) - Linda & Jim Matthews
Tea (1-unsweet) - Debbie & Larry Philbin
Lemonade - Linda & Jim Matthews
Soft Drinks - Debbie & Larry Philbin
Soft Drinks (couple liters) & Some Chips- Debbie & Dave Hardy
Water (1 case) - Debbie & Larry Philbin
Serving Utensils, Spoons, Forks, Knives, Paper Plates & Towels, Napkins, Cups, Condiments - Debbie Phlbin & Debbie Hardy
Tables & Chairs - Ron Angerman
Grilling Utensils - Randy Berry
Grills (for cooking) - Dave Gardner
Ice - Randy Berry (40 lbs)
Could use more supporting items (e.g. baked beans, veggies, desserts)

Legend
Green - Volunteered to provide
Gray - Unconfirmed, but probably
Red - Need volunteers
----------------------

Upcoming Aviation Events All chapter meeting dates are on Sunday, unless otherwise noted. All chapter activities, dates, times and locations are tentative and subject to change.
Date(s)	Description	Time(s)	Location	Click for More
Click Red Arrow at Right	See "Breakfast Club" Schedule	9am - Noon	Click Red Arrow at Right for Dates & Locations
Sunday, April 28th, 2024	April Chapter Meeting	1:00pm - 4:00pm EDT	Buckeye Farms (near Willison, SC)
April 5th- 7th, 2024	Uncle John's Fly-in	Daylight hours each day	Triple Tree Aerodrome, SC00, Woodruff, SC
April 9th -14th, 2024	Sun-N- Fun Fly-in	Each Day	Lakeland-Linder Municipal Airport
July 22nd - 28th, 2024	AirVenture 2024	Each Day	Wittman Regional Airport Oshkosh, WI
Triple Tree Aerodrome Schedule	Various Triple Tree Aerodrome Events	Click the red arrow for further details.	Triple Tree Aerodrome (SC00)