July 2021 President’s Report

President’s Report

The future is now

Well, it’s that time again! As I sit down to write this, it is just the middle of July and the 2021 convention is now history. I cannot thank Andy and Gene enough for the hard work that they and their chapter members put into this convention. Not only did we go back home, so to speak, but the weather was good and everyone enjoyed the trip to the hills of Lock Haven, PA. To make the event even better it was held in conjunction with Sentimental Journey, so we got to see airplanes not usually at our convention and meet new people too. We also met some old friends and got reacquainted after several years. I won’t go into much detail here because the next issue of the News will be full of convention stuff.

With the convention behind us, we much look to the future! The very near future is 22’s in 21 to Oshkosh. By the time you read this it too will be in the history books, but it is lining up to be another great event: Between the meeting at Baraboo and Paul and Michele Wolff hosting us there, and the dinner at Tall Pines on Sunday at Oshkosh. Then the activities all week and meeting people at the Type Club table in Vintage, it will be about all we can do to make it back home to rest up.

However, we cannot stop there! Next year we have elections for Vice President and Treasurer, so we need nominations for those positions. It is time for someone to step up and take the club in a

new and exciting direction. We are getting some younger members that have some really good ideas and we really hope you will consider helping the club and continuing the relationships we have built over the years and making sure these old planes continue to fly for the next generation of pilots.

Beyond the upcoming election we still have new and exciting things to plan for.

We are already hard at work planning the 2022 convention.  It looks like we are heading to Grand Glaze, Missouri, next year. The airport is really nice and close to the hotel, so that should help us a little bit. We are currently looking into some that I think will be exciting trips and maybe a flyout to a museum during the week. There is plenty to do there and we hope to have all of the detail finalized and registration out by the end of the year.

This club is a dynamic environment and we must remain flexible and flow with the changes around us to continue to grow and thrive in today’s world. If you haven’t noticed, aircraft prices are going through the roof, but somehow our beloved short wings have remained affordable. Because of that we are attracting new and younger owners because our planes are still affordable. So, we need to do everything we can to embrace these new owners and encourage them along the way. They will soon enough be experienced and able to provide assistance to new owners and pilots in the future.  I encourage everyone to look to the future and help bring the club along with us.

Smooth landings,

Steve