3rd National Gathering
For those who missed Bowling Green well you missed two things, a real heat wave and a great time. It seemed we had more fun shooting from the hip. I would like to thank Brittany for helping with the Corsair Distillery tour. I’m sure they liked the amount of product that we bought at the store!
Pictures have been added to the daily coverage, it is not the same but it is as close as some can come. Enjoy!
AD Compliance and Vigilance
On some of our planes, we need constant vigilance. Thus is the case with the two-seaters and the two front canopy screws. You have to check them before every flight. If one of them comes out, then the strip will bend and you might get a crack in the canopy. Here is an example. Note: Forward screw has been replaced in the photo.
Lou Evans – Traveler Tips
We are pleased to announce that Lou Evans has taken on the job of writing a column called Traveler Tips. These will techniques to better utilize your plane and flights. WE hope you enjoy them. Okay Lou, ball is in your court!
Fire Award Winners
During our Gathering at Bowling Green, we presented these folks with Fire Award recognizing their passion or ‘Fire’ for the Grumman line. Award recipients were:
Matt Wing
Lynn Wing
Ed Muccio
Ronny Mowery
Mark Matthews
Kelly Matthews
Luann Sieve
Jimmy Candeletti
Congratulations to all. Previous awards to Ken and Roscoe.
Rigging Tool Project Update
We have produced the first set of prototypes and they adjustments will be checked with one more set produced. If these measure correctly (we only needed a few small adjustments) then we are off to the production run.
So we should have these within the month ready to go to new homes. We had 14 names on the list, which is now lost. If you want a set, please let me know. we are planning at this time to make 20 sets (up from 15).
Oshkosh Wedding
Dan Baisley and Alice Cabrera – Tied the knot Thursday at Oshkosh. Dan claims they were inspired by the action in the cabins last year at Cody. Congratulations to the new couple!
Group Flights
One of the most fun things you can do is to participate in a group flight. The planes and pilots fly in loose formation and it is nice to have friends when you land for fuel. One group can take lunch orders and run into town while the rest get the planes fueled and ready to go for the next leg of the trip. Overnights are a blast of planning and stories.
We are planning on some national gathering across the country and group flights will help many more make it. Stay tuned for more details.
Staging Areas
Several members mentioned to be able to help with staging for group flights in future years. Expect Nebraska, Ohio and Texas, and Florida to be hot spots of activity.
Michael Gillespie Articles and Comparisons
http://gpa.grumman-parts.com/info/grumman-line/
Click on the link above to see both of the wonderful tables produced by Michael. Really tells the tale on our whole line. Enjoy!
Future National Gatherings
Next year we are trying something new. We are going to have a Wrench Bending weekend June 9, 10, 11 followed by the Welcome Reception Sunday night with June 12, 13 , and 14 for the Gathering. We’ll see how it work out.
Yankee Aviation will be hosting the event in the new hangar at KHAO. Should be a great event. Did someone say Baseball?
2018 – Spearfish, SD (June – July time frame)
2019 – Independence, OR, ( late June – early July time frame)
Membership
We have at this moment 783 members. Good job all!