Gateway Pilots

From the March Meeting

Mal Yorke and new member Don Dunn talked about the glory days of TWA and reminded us of the magnitude of the disaster “airline deregulation” has been. Since deregulation, over 200 airlines have vanished, taking countless jobs and “extended families” with them.

Carl Schaffner introduced is fiancée, Donna Sytsma. Yes, they really did look that happy in person, too. Unanimous opinion of those surveyed is that Carl and Donna have a long and happy marriage ahead of them.

New Members

Welcome to several new members.

Tom Sparr

Pat Devine

Liz and Don Dunn

From the April Meeting

A motion was proposed by Libby Yunger, and seconded by Rick Albrecht to have the Gateway Chapter pay ½ of the cost per person at our picnic in June. Last year the per person charge was $10 so if that remains the same this year, the Chapter will pay for $5 and the individuals who attend need only pay $5. The motion carried unanimously.

Rick Albrecht is in charge of the nominating committee and at the meeting the following individuals agreed to serve on the Board for two years, from 2008 to 2010. Tony Petruso, Don Kramme, Steve Pierce, Bill Darnell, Bob Vasquez. Tracy Smith was asked and will provide an answer by the election in May. Donna Crandell is not going to be Vice President after June 2008 due to business commitments.

Any one interested in serving in any capacity, please let Rick know by the May meeting election.

Joe Pestka, MoDOT Administrator of Aviation, provided information on legislation pending in the Missouri state legislature. Bills proposed covering items such as, Jet fuel and the Aviation Trust Fund; exempting purchases of aviation materials, parts, and equipment from state and local sales tax; lowering the maximum certified gross take-off weight on “commercial aircraft” from 7,000 pounds to 3,000 pounds.

May Meeting

The Wednesday, May 14, 2008 meeting will be at The Columns. Clyde Earhart will discuss aircraft insurance. Phone your reservations to Jean Murry.

We will be voting for new officers. See the 2008 Ballot. The slate consists of:

President: Bob Kraemer
Vice President: Don Kramme
Secretary: Art Zemon
Treasurer: Libby Yunger

Board of Directors: Jean Murry, Tracy Smith, Bob Vasquez, Bill Darnell, Tony Petruso, Steve Pierce

Safety Tip

Coming into spring, it’s time to brush up on the flying skills that might have gotten a little rusty through the winter. Or just a little review with your favorite instructor.

FLY SAFE Rick adv.av.training@sbcglobal.net

Upcoming Events

You can always find the latest list of upcoming MPA events on our web site at http://gatewaypilots.org/upcoming-events/.

This year, all meetings on are the third Wednesday of the month except in December. See the upcoming events page for weather minimums and times.

Gateway Pilots Web Site

Did you know that there are good things on the web site that did not make it into the newsletter? Drop by www.GatewayPilots.org.

From the February Meeting

Tom Sparr talked about the history of the C130 both as a cargo carrier and as a gun ship. He flew both versions. Prior to Viet Nam he flew the cargo ship delivering supplies to American troops and to Indian troops during the Sino-Indian border dispute of 1962. Showed the evolution of the parachute delivery systems and how heavy equipment was delivered. During Viet Nam, Tom volunteered to fly a gun ship. Showed the evolution of the gun ship armament from its beginning in Viet Nam to today. (Click on the photo below to see it larger.)

We welcomed new members - Bob Vasquez, and Tom and Nancy Sparr - who were coerced (oops, I meant encouraged) to join by Bob Kraemer.

March Meeting

The Wednesday, March 19, 2008 meeting will be at The Columns. Don Dunn will be our guest speaker. He is a retired airline pilot who flew for two major airlines. He recently retired (again?) as an FAA inspector for Part 121 operations at the St. Louis FSDO. He also flew the L1011 Flying Hospital which had a staff of doctors and nurses for missions n Africa and Europe.

Phone your reservations to Jean Murry.

Upcoming Events

You can always find the latest list of upcoming MPA events on our web site at http://gatewaypilots.org/upcoming-events/.

This year, all meetings on are the third Wednesday of the month except in February and December. See the upcoming events page for weather minimums and times.

Gateway Pilots Web Site

Did you know that there are good things on the web site that did not make it into the newsletter? Drop by www.GatewayPilots.org.

From the January Meeting

Tracy Smith, St. Charles County Smartt airport manager, thoroughly regaled us with tales of training United States Navy pilots. He had the room in stitches several times and we all left proud of the job done by our naval aviators.

February Meeting

The Tuesday, February 12, 2008 meeting will be at The Columns. Our guest speaker, Tom Sparr, is a retired corporate pilot who flew jets for a major corporation. Prior to that, Tom flew many variants of the C-130 in Viet Nam, including the gun ship version. He has two Distinguished Flying Crosses and numerous Air Medals. Presently he flies a burgundy and cream Stinson based at St. Charles Smartt Field.

Phone your reservations to Jean Murry.

Upcoming Events

You can always find the latest list of upcoming MPA events on our web site at http://gatewaypilots.org/upcoming-events/.

This year, all meetings on are the third Wednesday of the month except in February and December. See the upcoming events page for weather minimums and times.

Gateway Pilots Web Site

Did you know that there are good things on the web site that did not make it into the newsletter? Drop by www.GatewayPilots.org.