From the Left Seat

You can feel the change in the air as we transition into fall weather. But there’s still time to get out and fly to some great destinations. Lisa and I just got back from the WAAAM flyin at Hood River, OR. The flying weather was fantastic, lots of great airplanes that flew in and were on display, and we got to meet old friends.

We all missed not having Air Affaire, but there were other events like the Unity of Effort first responder gathering and Diamond Point Airport Appreciation Day. August was also filled with gathering airport stamps to compete in our second annual poker run. It was fun to all sit at the poker table and play for the best hand which was won by Richard Howell (who needs the money to fuel the Sling II). Barry is working to have EAA406 join us at our next event.

We have so many members who spend considerable time, money, and effort to advance the accomplishments of our chapter.

Although he will cringe when he reads this, I would like to remind you of all the things that Rick Vaux has done to advance our mission.

Rick joined the EAA430 Board of Directors as Vice President in January 2021 (although some say he wasn’t in the room when he volunteered). Right away he started working on plans for an Adirondack chair for the Blue Barn in Oshkosh and a pancake machine. The chair was built, sanded and painted, and had a logo sign designed and developed. Then he personally drove over 4000 miles to deliver it during 2021 AirVenture (including a mechanical adventure in Billings). In 2021, Rick took the lead to take a donated ultralight helicopter and turn it into cash for the chapter. This took at least one round trip to Willowa, OR. In addition to attending every public meeting of the chapter, he led the setup detail for Air Affaire last year and has been a vocal advocate for an A&P scholarship candidate. He authored a column in this newsletter for a couple of years and recently joined with the Maker Lab to start a youth model airplane building project. He’s hoping they will fly the airplane they built very soon. Thanks, Rick, you make a huge difference. Speaking of volunteers, Kevin and “Charlie” Tracy have agreed to lead our chapter food events. Thanks for stepping up to help, and congratulations to Kevin on his recent retirement!

It’s energizing to work with such great people. I’m always proud to wear my EAA430 logoware. Speaking of which, we’re looking for someone who would help us with ordering merchandise like shirts and hats that can be embroidered. Let me know if you would like to help, and until next month let’s slip the surly bonds of Earth every chance we get.

Ray