Aug 2004

2099 Smithtown Avenue, Ronkonkoma, NY 11776

Volume 7 Number 8

 

 

 

 

President

Alan Klug

---
Vice Pres.

Rob Terano

---
Secretary

Rich Raine

---
Treasurer

Joe Leonard

---
Administration

Doug Weston

---
Membership

Mark Goodman

---
Operations

John Blosser

---
Training

John Vahey

---
At Large

Chuck Calabrese

The Left Seat                                  Alan Klug

I finally made it out to the Oshkosh Air Show.  I received a very gracious invitation from Wilson Willmott to go with him in his Piper Saratoga. N76TD. Wilson, his friend Barry and I departed in the morning, Monday, July 26 and had a great flight there stopping in Franklin, PA (FKL) for lunch, then continuing on to Oshkosh. The show opened the next day and we spent the entire time until Sunday morning attending lectures, air shows, seminars, etc. Almost a solid week of aviation related activities. Speakers such as Harrison Ford, Chuck Yeager, Dick & Burt Rutan, Bud Anderson and many more packed the buildings and lecture rooms with enthusiasts. (Attendance was estimated at more than 700,000) An air show every afternoon that had some repeat performers and some new performers and lasted about 3 hours. Ultra lights flying throughout the day (on their own field inside the airport). Seaplanes coming and going at the seaplane base, which is part of Lake Winnebago. The opportunity to fly in many kit planes. The list could go on and on. Airplane manufacturers, or for that matter, makers of anything having to do with aviation were represented. We started our days activities about 8 AM, broke for dinner about 6 PM and on some evenings went back for more and we didn’t really get to “see it all”.

Sunday August 1, we headed home. First stop was Pontiac, MI. (PTK) If you are ever in that area, that’s the place to stop. Friendly people, pilot lounge with a massaging chair, free beverages and they even offered to cook for us. It doesn’t get any better than that. Continuing home, we weaved our way between thunderstorms and made one more stop at Stewart Airport (SWF) where they rolled out the red carpet for the back seat passenger.  Then, back to ISP. This is a trip every aviation enthusiast should make at least once.

 

We held our monthly (during the summer) plane wash and barbecue on Monday July 12th. The following people showed up to lend their support; Mike Alberico, John, Robin and Robert Patrick Blosser, (our youngest aviation enthusiast ever) John Koch, Jeff McArthur & Kaitlin Grell, Tom Klemenko & Donna Boylan, Kevin & McKenzi Doolittle, Shannon Nigg, Charlie Raymond, Jim Dexter & Dale Mammina, Ed Santiago, Jonathan & Joe Leonard, Jerry Cannarozzo, Heinz Gerber, Karl Krage, Sonny Borowski, Chuck Calabrese, Joan Klug and myself. Thanks to all. Also, special thanks to Donna Boylan for doing her usual cleanup in the office, Jeff McArthur for bringing the rags, and Dale Mammina & Jim Dexter for volunteering to cook while chef Mark was absent.  I have scheduled the next plane wash for August 23rd at 5 PM with a barbecue after. Hope to see you there.

 

 

 

 

Instructors

 

Sonny Borowski

(631) 793-6980

John Brook

(631) 368-1901

Rich Clinton

(631) 368-1901

Bernie Davidson

(516 931-7699

Dave Ferrara

(631)874-8492

Frank Hayes

(516) 767-0391

Roy Mathews

(631) 968-0154

Jeff McArthur

(631) 288-6276

Bill Rudock

(631) 874-6155

Rob Terano

(631) 467-4159

John Vahey

(631) 835-6106

Bob VanSise

(516) 799-8684

 

 

GACE Flying Cub

2099 Smithtown Ave.

Ronkonkoma, NY 11779

Phone:

(631) 737-6879

 

The Left Seat (cont.)                           Alan Klug

As most of you know, one of the reasons we are able to control our insurance costs is because of the rules and procedures that the club adheres to. The insurance company has a copy of our procedures manual and they and the Board of Directors as well as most of the club members expect everybody to adhere to the rules. As we look through the filing cabinet, we are still finding members that are non compliant. It is your responsibility to make sure you have a folder and that all of your paperwork is in it. If you don’t have a folder and you are a licensed pilot, you can’t be in compliance because that would indicate that you have never taken a check ride, done ground reviews or a GACE annual. Within a few weeks of this newsletter, any pilots found not to be “current” or “compliant” will be blocked from scheduling airplanes.

Once in a while, you might encounter a problem with an airplane. If there is property damage or personal injury involved, I would like to be informed immediately. On the other hand, if the problem is mechanical, then a call to John Blosser would be proper. And, if you can, also get in touch with one of our mechanics, Ron Uschock or Bob Shellberg.

Telling them directly what you experienced that caused you to ground an a/c or even think there is a problem, aids in the time it takes to diagnose and repair.

Secretary’s Corner                        Rich Raine

Congratulations are in order for John Blosser.  With all the things going on in John’s life he has managed to pass his CFI check ride.   To his credit, he chose to take the ride with the FAA.  I’m sure he will be available for BFR’s or GACE checkouts in short order.

Meetings

Board of Directors meetings are held on the second Monday of the month at 7:00PM.  All members are welcome; however, please check with the President first in order to get on the agenda.

General Membership meetings are the fourth Monday of the month at 7:00PM.  There are no meetings for the summer months of July and August.  The next member’s meeting will be September 27th. 

Plane Wash

The next plane wash will be August 23rd at 5 PM.  A barbecue will follow.  Please come out, meet your fellow members and enjoy some hanger flying and good clean fun!