Gateway Pilots

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.

From the December Meeting

Missouri pilots gathered from far and near for an uproarious evening of food, song, hilarity, and generosity. We ate. We sang like no others. We laughed til our sides hurt. We gifted each other. We stole the gifts. We gifted some more. We laughed even more.

We did conduct a little bit of business. Next year, all of the meetings will be on Wednesdays except in February. That makes it much easier to keep the calendar straight.

Unfortunately, the proposed January movie night is a no-go. The organist did not like the movie and without his cooperation we are lacking both music and a theater.

When all was said and done, we had collected many foodstuffs for the needy, including canned goods, oatmeal, instant potatoes, Jell-O, pudding, brownies, spaghetti, peanut butter, and salt. No one was hungry (not by a long shot!). No one left without a material gift in their hand and the gift of the Christmas spirit in their heart.

January Meeting

The Wednesday, January 9, 2008 meeting will be at The Columns. Tracy Smith will tell us about his US Navy flight experiences, including the F9F-8T Cougar. 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/

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 for updates on Flight Service, St. Louis TRACON, and much, much more.