From the Left Seat

It has been a great summer of aviation activities. We’ve had monthly flyouts, the annual poker run (read about that later), and three Young Eagles rallies. 155 youths were flown by 15 volunteer pilots on 6/14, 8/23, and 9/20. Over a dozen ground volunteers organized, set up, and managed the young people and their parents. We received help from other chapters who thought our rallies were very well organized. Congratulations to Bud and Tracy for another successful season.

Lisa and I had the opportunity to fly to Silver City, NM recently to attend the Recreational Aviation Foundation Educational Conference West. Not only was it a great conference, but we met a couple; Matt and Holly Hagg from Arizona, that knew where Sequim is- specifically Diamond Point. That’s because Holly is Gordon Tubesing’s daughter! The world of aviation is truly small. It was amazing flying near the Grand Canyon and then seeing wild horses in Nevada. America allows us to freely fly where we choose within the rules. What a country! I hear that Aiden is thinking of putting together a trip to tour CubCrafters soon. Standby for more.

MOSAIC is here. If you are a Sport Pilot, you will be able to check out in larger aircraft beginning October 22, 2025. If you haven’t started training yet, you could learn to fly single engine aircraft with less time, expense, and no FAA medical. If you own an experimental aircraft that you did not build, you can take a two-day class to teach you condition inspection authority. I hope these new changes turn out to be a big boost to general aviation.

I’m getting all tuned up to call Chili Bingo on Thursday night October 23, 5:00 p.m. at the Fairchild Conference Room. There’s a Chili Cook-off for the first-place prize. Then it’s a donation dinner for the scholarship fund ($20?) and then $10 per Bingo card. Some good prizes are being donated and it should be a fun evening.

Please don’t forget that the October Gathering on October 25 will start with a breakfast at 9:00 a.m. at the Fairchild Conference Room. The casseroles have been delicious and it’s a nice change of pace. After breakfast and a short meeting, we will learn about the very sleek VL-3 Evolution from a new owner – Rob Stephens.

I hope to see you soon, Ray