November Election Meeting - Pelion Airport (6J0) - 11/20/2016

2015 President, Eddie Price, receives a service award from 2016 President, Rusty Nance

     Our chapter held a special election meeting at Pelion Airport (6J0) on Sunday, November 20, 2016. We had planned to hold elections after lunch at the Fall Fly-in on November 5th, but most members slipped away enjoying the excitement of the moment, so we were unable to do so. Consequently, a special meeting was called on Sunday, November 20th for the primary purpose of electing 2017 chapter officers. Various chapter members provided a lunch of pizza, salad, chili, crackers, tossed salad, various desserts, tea, and soft drinks. We had approximately 30 members/attendees and gained 3 new members.

     Chapter president, Rusty Nance, began the meeting around 2:00pm. He first handed out several service awards for 2015 and 2016. Then, he called upon previous president, Eddie Price, who was not in the running for any office, to conduct the elections. Secretary, Kevin Wallace, had previously announced that he would be unable to run again in 2017 due to his plans to attend graduate school, so that position would definitely need to be filled. Eddie asked for nominations, and Libby Berry was immediately nominated. Libby accepted the nomination and was unanimously elected 2017 chapter secretary. Current treasurer, Leon Strock, was again nominated for treasurer, ran unopposed, and was unanimously elected 2017 chapter treasurer.  Likewise, Vice-president, Leonard Self, was again nominated for that office in 2017, ran unopposed, and was unanimously elected 2017 Vice-President.

     Both Rusty Nance and Randy Berry were nominated as candidates for 2017 President. Blank ballots were passed out, and a secret ballot was taken. While they were being counted, Roger Rucker elaborated on his crash in Vietnam some 50 years ago. He had provided before and after photos of the Fairchild C123 aircraft which he had piloted at that time. His efforts to remain defending troops in trouble led to a low fuel condition, which in turn, resulted in running out of fuel, and thus the crash. Eddie then announced the results of the secret ballot, which revealed that Randy Berry had been elected president for 2017 in a close race for that office. Larry Maner, Al Strickland, Eddie Price, and Rusty Nance were appointed as directors for 2017. Don Schmotzer will continue as our Safety Advisor.

     Don Schmotzer then gave us an interesting presentation on preflighting. Don has a way of making even seemingly mundane topics into very interesting presentations. As members listened intently, he emphasized the importance of "really looking" during a pre-flight and cited several personal examples of incidents which nearly caused accidents in his past. He received a nice hand at the end of the presentation. TTF member and EAA Chapter 242 President, Jim Herpst, spoke briefly on upcoming plans for Pelion Airport in the future. However, he was unable to comment on specific details just yet, so we'll have to wait to find out more later.

     Thank you all for attending our hastily called meeting. We hope that you'll all enjoy the upcoming holidays, and we'll see you all again in January, 2017. For photos from Eddie Price, click the image above.

Fall Fly-in - Gilbert Airpark (SC45) - 11/5/2016

2016 Fall Fly-in Group Photo at Gilbert Airpark (SC45) After Lunch
(Click this Image for a Larger Version & More Photos)

     Our 2016 Fall Fly-in was held on Saturday, November 5th, 2016 at Gilbert Airpark (SC45). It was a great success! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day with clear skies, cool temperatures, and fairly light winds from the east. Planes started arriving early in the morning with most arriving just before lunch. Some groups stood around chatting, while others just sat around relaxing and watching the planes land.  Members of Gilbert Airpark prepared and served up a smorgasbord of delicious main dishes, desserts, and various drinks starting about 12:30 pm. We had a number of positive comments on the delicious food. Vice-President, Leonard Self, made several announcements before and during lunch. He also sold tickets for a 50/50 drawing. President, Rusty Nance, who is an Apache helicopter pilot in the Army National Guard, had to work that day, but he was able to break away in time to get there towards the end of the lunch period. After lunch, we watched the planes take off, and a few carried family members and others for plane rides. All in all, it was a fantastic day. Everyone seemed to genuinely have a great time. A special thanks goes to Ron Angerman for allowing the use of his huge hangar and also to Gilbert Airpark for hosting the event. Also, thanks to TTF members, Don Schmotzer and Ron Lindsey, for giving air traffic advisories and to Tony Gantt and Glenn Temples for marshalling planes to appropriate parking areas. Finally, thanks to Eddie Price for taking photos of the event, which you can view by clicking on the image above.

October Meeting - Whiteplains Airpark (SC99) - 10/16/2016

Final Approach to Runway 9 at Whiteplains Airpark (SC99)

     Our October meeting was held on Sunday, October 16th, 2016 at Whiteplains Airpark (SC99) at the hangar/homes of James and Susan Fender and Tony Speranza. They served a great traditional meal of hamburgers and hotdogs, along with baked beans, various vegetables dishes, salads, tea, and various soft drinks. They, TTF members, and other Whiteplains members provided several delicious desserts as well.  TTF president, Rusty Nance, could not be with us today due to having to work, so VP, Leonard Self, conducted the business meeting. After the business meeting, retired FAA air traffic controller, Mr. Mike Moore, gave us a presentation and some interesting insights on what it's like from the "other side of the mic in controlled airspace". Several TTF members flew in, including Leonard Self, Eddie Price, Don Schmotzer, Larry Maner/Tony Gantt, Al Strickland and his son, Brent, Leon Strock, Jack Starling/John Leonhardt, Ron Angerman, and Ron Lindsey. We thank Bo, Susan, and Tony for their hospitality and very much enjoyed our visit and the hospitality and company of the other great folks at Whiteplains Airpark as well. Thank you, Whiteplains! For photos of the event by chapter photographer, Eddie Price, and a few from Tony Speranza, click on the photo above.

To return to the HOME page, click below: