From the Left Seat

Hello fellow aviators!

Due to the continued generosity of the chapter members, we are pleased to report that the board recently selected Gunner Rogers as our newest scholarship recipient. Gunner is currently attending the University of North Dakota and is rapidly acquiring his pilot ratings and licenses. This support will help him finish his college degree.

And speaking of gaining aviation learning - we have a really nice simulator that was donated to the chapter last year. We were waiting to set it up in our new club house, but since that is taking longer than expected, we’re talking about getting it set up now and are exploring possible venues. Let me know if you have an interest in using the sim, and I’ll keep you informed of our progress.

Thanks go to Barry and Tracy Halsted for all the work they do planning, preparing, and providing our chapter Poker Run. They spent a lot of time soliciting prizes and organizing the poker party. It was a great event that got many members flying to new locations.

The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) is holding their biannual national education conference at the Museum of Flight in Seattle September 25-27. Being an RAF liaison for Washington State, I committed to helping the conference. Unfortunately, it will prevent me from being at the September Gathering. Vice President Ernie Hanson will be attending the West Coast Swift fly-in, but we are fortunate to have Richard Howell stepping up to lead the group, followed by a fantastic presentation from John Norman of JNE Aircraft who built the most accurate, definitive reproduction of the 1927 Ryan NYP monoplane (Spirit of St Louis) which took over 12,000 hours. If you get a chance, you can see it on display at the Port Townsend Aero Museum. It is an amazing reproduction.

I hope to see you at our last Young Eagles rally on September 19 at KCLM!

— Ray