From the Left Seat

We had a great Young Eagles rally on the 13th this month. Many members of our chapter came out to serve and help out. Tracy and Bud have fine-tuned the process of putting on a rally, and several pilots showed up to provide the rides. We had two pilots- Mark and Simon, from other chapters come and provide great support with their 4 place airplanes. It always amazes me to see how flying affects everyone somewhat differently. I had kids just enthralled looking at their world from above, and those that wanted to learn how to pilot the aircraft. You just can’t tell by looking at them how they will react. “More than anything else, the sensation [of flying] is one of perfect peace mingled with an excitement that strains every nerve to the utmost~ if you can conceive of such a combination” Wilbur Wright. I invite you to join us in Sequim on September 7th to experience it yourself. A big shoutout to Gordon Tubesing for his dedication to provide flights for young people. He truly is inspirational.

We have all heard that EAA is aging, and we’re endangered of going extinct. But I’m seeing things somewhat differently. At our last Gathering, Madeline Patterson reported that with the help of our scholarship program she has graduated with a degree from North Dakota University after obtaining all of her ratings (except ATP). She’s planning to flight instruct in the local area prior to going into the Coast Guard as a pilot. Daniel Weaver, another scholarship recipient, is working this summer at Rite Brothers.

Gunner Rogers, our Ray scholarship recipient, has scheduled his Private Pilot check ride before the end of the month, and Aiden Lara is right behind him. Both Gunner and Aiden have energized their families - cousins, moms, dads, and even grandparents that have either taken a flight or plan to soon.

We have our eyes on a couple of other Young Eagles who are interested in joining our chapter. So, I think the future of our chapter is looking brighter!

Get out and go flying to get your 5 airport stamps to participate in the Poker Run! We are getting some donated prizes that will be awarded at the Gathering on August 31.

Thanks to the Building Committee who has done a lot of work this past month clarifying where the building will go, what type of construction, and what steps are required. They hope to winnow down the choices in the next month or so and then present their proposal to the membership.

There are seven chapter members planning to attend AirVenture in Oshkosh this year. I, being one of them, will not be here for the July Gathering, VP Rick Vaux will lead the meeting and he is anxious to get his hands on the gavel .