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President’s Message for June 16, 2011
First and foremost, please accept my apologies for tardiness of this meeting announcement.
With only three weeks remaining before AirFest, I’ve been pretty consumed with its planning, my real job, our son’s graduation, and with computers in general. That said, the real heroes of our committee have also been extremely busy planning and implementing what can be our biggest aviation party to date! AirFest 2011 is indeed shaping up hugely, with sponsors, aircraft, vendors, enhancements and music, and dance at a pace that is truly inspiring! Exhausting preparations are also going on for its proper management, safety, PR and good will by a dedicated committee inside and out of GEFA and our friends at EAA Chapter #1175. Nevada County aviation’s most significant weekends are upon us!!!
Over twenty-five historic warbirds, as many kit-built experimentals, antiques and classics will share the ramps with vendors, displays, airplane rides, radio-control model demos and entertainment too extensive to list (at this midnight hour), but rest assured, you will not be disappointed! The full day of fly-bys will also include (three confirmed – likely four) PATRIOTS L-39 jets!
The Friday evening hangar party at Alpine and Sierra Mountain Aviation hangars will likewise surpass our 2009 event in quality, with additions to include a colorful hot air balloon, patriotic warbird fly-overs, excellent food and beverages, historic vehicles (you have never seen before) and an all new orchestra to make for extreme excitement, nostalgia and romance!
I will have Dinner Dance tickets for sale at the meeting, but most importantly – I’m including printable files (in this message) for you to help get the word out and invite all of your friends to the party! Half-price “Saturday” tickets can be also purchased at the Airport and the BEAM Easy-living Center to help with awareness and further the good will.
As we are fortunate to have the finances to launch a quality event in this economy, its ultimate success now depends on your getting this to all your individual contacts and media sources with some well-directed key strokes and a few short minutes of your time. Please help!
Remember too, this Saturday, June 18 is EAA Young Eagles Day to include a pancake breakfast and more opportunity for “Aviation awareness.”
More information, updates and opportunities to follow on Thursday evening, June 16, 6 PM at the Airport Picnic area (thanks to good weather) and our meeting. Very special “THANKS” also to Kathy and Doug Hammes who loaded up their Kubota tractor with the 5' mower and spent many hours mowing grass at our park and the west end gate area (inside and outside the fence) while filling holes in the Park’s gravel lot caused by snow removal.
Bring lots of food and desserts, as we’ll have much to discuss on the agenda. Looking forward seeing everyone at the Airport, Thursday, June 16 at 6:00PM! Bring welcomed guests and plenty of food as always!
Respectfully,
Tim O’Brien
President’s Message for May 16, 2011
…Boy, how time flies!, but you would never know it based on the weather…
“Our” time will be the subject of another special program this Thursday as we go back to 1991 with Bobsie Bostic in a bold and historic video she and Jean Beilby produced about needed airport improvements of the day! Her forward and informative appeal to the Board of Supervisors not only paved the way for dramatic results, but to revisit her dedicated request is sure to solidify the importance of our GEFA in the realm of “all things possible!” I look forward to watching it again while reflecting upon our “value of the difference” with all of YOU on Thursday, May 18th, 6 PM at Seaman’s Lodge.
Bring lots of food and desserts, as we’ll have many high horizons to comprehend and digest… Namely, recent scholarship recipient accomplishments, exciting AirFest updates and yet another Airport enhancement on the agenda.
This will hopefully be our last meeting at Seaman’s (weather permitting) before returning to the sights & sounds of aviation at our Airport picnic spot in June.
Thanks again to Keith Thomassen and Tim Decker for a fantastic program in April! Going to Beale on the heels of Tim’s presentation was awesome and inspirational to say the least, but the magic that is “our gang,” with pre-flight nearly complete, sits on the numbers with full power, poised for yet another historic departure on July 8-9!!!
A complete progress report including fly-outs and other activities are also on the agenda and feel free to suggest any program ideas for future meetings. Given the talent present in our club, it doesn’t have to be aviation related. Newsletter tidbits are welcome as well!
Looking forward seeing everyone at Seaman’s Lodge, Thursday, May 18th at 6:00PM! Bring guests and plenty of food as always!
President’s intermediate Message for April 29, 2011
…Just want to pop in & say THANKS! for a wonderful, well attended, and fun meeting we had on April 21! Special thanks to Keith Thomassen for hosting special guest Tim Decker and his incredible insight into flying spy and Stealth missions, as well as, professional aerobatics! Don't forget to see him "real deal" at Beale this weekend!
Thanks also to Doug Young for the following pictures and to EVERYONE for the great food! We'll be talkin' again soon!
Tim O'Brien
President’s Message for April 19, 2011
“…Turning base leg for final, runway Two-One…” That’s April 21 at Seaman’s Lodge at 6 PM with a full-stop and no go-rounds — unless it’s for seconds at the dessert table ;-)
Special guest and speaker, Tim Decker will follow a delightful happy hour, dinner, and a brief business meeting with his exploits as an accomplished U.S. Air Force pilot and aerobatic performer. The timing of his program could not have worked better (following postponement in March) as he is also scheduled to fly during the upcoming Beale Air Force Base air show in his Pitts S-1 on April 30 and May 1st! For complete details, visit his website: http://timdeckerairshows.com and be sure to invite your friends.
The show at Beale is also shaping up to be a fantastic event with a full array of aerobatics, warbird demos, high performance fly-bys, and static displays highlighted by the Patriots Jet Team and U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds! There is really too much to list, so be sure and visit: http://bealeairshow2011.com to get all the incredible details.
Our own AirFest 2011 is also progressing at fever pitch with a growing list of sponsors and vendors to compliment a full tarmac of experimentals, warbirds, antiques, and more! Our website: http://www.ncairfest.com is colorful, up to date, and features downloadable sponsor pages that we hope you will pass along to make 2011 the best AirFest ever. Pacific Flyer Magazine has also included a nice write-up in their April air show edition which can be seen on-line at: http://www.pacificflyer.com/2011/04/go-nostalgic-at-nevada-county/
A complete progress report including fly-outs and other activities are also on the agenda and feel free to suggest any program ideas for future meetings. Given the talent present in our club — it doesn’t have to be aviation related. Newsletter tidbits are welcome as well!
Looking forward seeing everyone at Seaman’s Lodge, Thursday, April 21 at 6:00PM!
Bring guests and plenty of food for this special meeting!
President’s Message for February 10, 2011
After much clearing of the air, and re-affirmation of our founding principles, our club is poised to take to the skies with renewed commitment in its dedication to aviation and its impact on our community.
The growing Nevada County AirFest committee, for one, has already made significant progress toward putting together what we hope will be the best event of all time, by enhancing learned successes and applying new and efficient ideas from the folks who know it best! The people who simply plan the type of show that they would like to go to.
But GEFA is not just about AirFest. As the agendas grow with concerns and solutions from safety; to education; to general improvements, and public relations, our club is also poised for some quality entertainment and social rapport with planned speakers and exciting fly-outs.
You will not want to miss our February meeting and special guest speaker, Tim Decker, accomplished F-117 and U-2 pilot turned aerobatic performer with his Pitts S-1A. Get the full briefing on his website: http://timdeckerairshows.com.
With great appreciation to Keith Thomassen for our featured program, I also want to thank the forty-plus members who attended our last meeting with hopes that attendance and awareness will continue to flourish. In addition, Katie Guilliat has placed announcements in The Union Newspaper and I am working with KNCO radio for PSA’s help put our ambitions on the map
We’ll see you at Seaman’s Lodge, Thursday, February 17 at 6:00 PM!
Plan to attend, bring a dish, and look your best! An admiring public is sure to wonder how we have managed to keep this unique organization a secret for so long ;-)
As a side note: I am also looking for old photographs and stories to compile a comprehensive history of the Nevada County Airport as well as GEFA. Below are some colorful tanker photos from the Cal-Nat days in the early 1960’s thanks to Bob Farrell.
President’s Message for January 16, 2011
First and foremost, I wish to thank Doug and Maureen Young for their outstanding dedication and hard work as president and secretary of our special club for the past two years! Equally special was our December Christmas party at Seaman’s Lodge, which was well attended and lovingly decorated, thanks to the Youngs. I also want to thank everyone who attended for their wonderful words of encouragement, support, and joyous anticipation of another year with some of the most inspirational citizens and pilots I have ever known. It is with honor, gratitude, and genuine respect that I accepted the nomination to become your president.
I have spent a lot of time lately in deep thought, trying to comprehend what it will be — and should be — like to be president of GEFA. Aside from past duty and familiarity with AirFest, I really don’t know what I have at this time to bring to the table. I do know this; from its humble creation in 1968 through eleven years into the new century, GEFA has hosted some of the most exciting and fun-loving events, while providing invaluable awareness, education, opportunity, and influence on behalf of the Nevada County Airport as well as the community at large! In addition, our gracious members continue to demonstrate intrigue and social delight well beyond the realm of aviation with their many extraordinary outings and family-oriented meetings.
In further reflecting on your humble generosity and history, I can faithfully say I’ve added “pride” to the long list of adoring thoughts that comes with association. In short; I don’t believe much needs changing, but for the affirmation and reminder of what we as a group have come a long way to do, with sincerest hopes we will always continue.
That said, There remains much to discuss on Thursday, January 20, 6:00 PM at Seaman’s Lodge. Veteran board members Karen Smith, Gary Guilliat, Carol Andrews and “You” are sure to enlighten newbies, Chris Evans, and myself in helping to make 2011 a banner year!
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