PMLAA
Pine Mountain Lake Aviation Association

November 2105

Pine Mountain Lake Next Meeting
Saturday, November 7th
McGowan’s Hangar at 6:00PM

George Marrett was born in Grand Island Nebraska in 1935. He graduated from Iowa State College and was commissioned in the Air Force, obtained his wings in 1959, and spent four years in the 84th Fighter Interceptor Squadron flying the F-101 Voodoo. From there he was selected to the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School (Test Pilot School) at Edwards AFB where he flew the Air Force Century Series Fighters. After graduation he was assigned to Test Operations at Edwards as a test pilot flying just about everything in flight test including the F-111 Aardvark, the F-4 Phantom and the F-5 Freedom Fighter.

Between 1968 and1969 George flew 188 combat missions in Vietnam, mostly rescue missions flying the Douglas A-1 Skyraider at Udorn and Nakhon Phanom Thailand. During that time he logged 600 combat hours in the air and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Medal with eight clusters. He named his particular A-1J "Sock It To 'Em"; the plane was later shot down by ground fire after George had left.
In 1969 he left the Air Force and joined Hughes Aircraft as an experimental test pilot flying the F-14 Tomcat, the F-15 Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the F-18 Hornet and the B-2 Stealth Bomber.

George is a successful and distinguished aviation author with nineteen published articles and short stories in a variety of aviation magazines and four books. "Cheating Death: Combat Air Rescues in Vietnam and Laos", "Howard Hughes: Aviator", "Testing Death: Hughes Aircraft Test Pilots and Cold War Weaponry" and "Contrails Over the Mojave: The Golden Age of Jet Flight Testing at Edwards Air Force Base". George is a storyteller.

Today George and his Nebraskan wife of 56 years, Jan, live in Atascadero, CA. George still flies; he is one of the founders of the Estrella Warbird Museum at Paso Robles airport and he is a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.

Young Eagles PML - October 2015

Yung Eagle Rides - Saturday,
October 10th 9AM - 11PM
Evening Potluck at 5:30PM

EAA/PML pilots will offer free airplane rides to kids 7 - 17. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who will sign permission forms.

October 2105

Pine Mountain Lake Airport Day Saturday,
October 3rd 11AM - 2PM
Evening Potluck at 5:30PM

The Pine Mountain Lake Aviation Association invites everyone to our Annual Community Airport Day on October 3 from 11:00am – 2:00pm at the Pine Mountain Lake County Airport.

This is a great fun and free way to visit your airport and see lots of interesting aircraft. Special events this year include a radio controlled model airplane demonstration, flying demonstrations, precision flying contests, and car vs. airplane races.

This is a great opportunity to check out your county airport, observe aircraft on display and meet our local pilots

.

PMLAA will be selling refreshments for your convenience.

Admission is free . Please use the Elderberry Way entrance to the airport.

Bring folding chairs. Appreciation for our local airport has certainly increased during the long drought in California and the resulting fi res. Having a local airport also makes medical helicopter evacuations possible. Mark your calendar and come spend the day at your local airport!

Program

• 10:00AM Overall Briefing All Participants Dale Mueller (Hallock’s Hangar)
• 10:30 Spot Landing/Flour Bombing Participants Wayne Handley (Hallock’s Hangar)
• 11:00 Opening Ceremonies/Refreshments Open
• National Anthem and Sky Divers
• Flour Bombing/Spot Landing Wayne Handley
• Model Airplane Demonstration John Andrews
• “The Ladies Race” Judy Collier vs/Bonnie Ritchey
• Flour Bombing/Spot Landing Wayne Handley
• “The Grudge Race” Mike Gustafson vs. Michael Thoeben
• “The Top Gun Race” Wayne Handley and Randy Burke
• 2:00PM Parade of Planes and Closing Ceremonies
• “Missing Man Formation in honor of “Carol Simpson”

PS: Don’t forget that Young Eagles is on October 10, 2015 at 9:00AM right here at the PML Airport!

September 2015

Flying the B-52 Bomber
Saturday, September 5th
McGowans’ Hangar @6PM

This month’s program features the iconic B-52 and what it was like to fly it during the mid-1970s.

Our speaker is our own PMLAA VP of Airport Affairs, Dale Mueller. Dale flew B-52s out of Mather AFB from 1973 to 1977, after which he escaped the clutches of Strategic Air Command, and flew T-43s, also at Mather.

Come on out to the meeting, and be regaled with tales of tall tails, air-to-air refueling, weapons delivery of all types, and the dreaded 7-engine approach

August 2015

Triple Hot August Nights
Saturday, August 8th
McGowans’ Hangar @6PM

Join us for an evening of socializing, food, and fun as we enjoy the long summer evening and celebrate the 30th year of PMLAA. Bring along your airplane, car, motorcycle, or other vehicle to display for all to see. Contact Dale Mueller before the event for special VIP display parking for your vehicle. His phone number is (209) 962-6308 and cell/text is 217-855-3880. Look for Ed Gregory and Dale directing traffic to the display area.

Please bring along your favorite salad or appetizer. A donation jar will be on hand for the surprise meat dish, and dessert will be provided.

June 2015

Our Forest Service Presents –
A Rim Fire Recovery Update
Saturday, June 6th
McGowans’ Hangar @6PM

Pat Laeng has a diversified background in fire management that spans 28 years of service and encompasses time spent on engines and various hotshot crews. Though he is temporarily filling in as the Stanislaus Forest Fuels Planner, he normally supervises the hotshot crew in Groveland, CA.

Prior to becoming the hotshot superintendent, Pat served as the Battalion Chief in Groveland and on the Black Hills National Forest in SD. In 2008, he also served as the Assistant to the Regional Fire Director in Lakewood, CO.

Georgia Dempsey, who is currently serving at the Public Affairs Officer for the Rim Fire, has a diverse background in public service. She has 20 years of experience with the National Park Service with a strong emphasis in interpretive services. Georgia has maintained a red card (certification for working on a wildfire fire line) for nearly 2 decades wherein she served in a variety of capacities on the fire line. As part of the resource management staff for the parks, she also ran the fire effects crew in Sequoia and Kings Canyon and supervised the Emergency Operations Center as well. Once she segued to the U.S. Forest Service, 6 years ago, her primary responsibilities have been in the realm of fire training.

May 2015 Meeting

Flying The Hump Larry Jobe Saturday, May 2nd, McGowan’s Hangar @ 6PM

Larry’s main job is selling real estate for Yosemite Area Real Estate but while not doing that he is involved in a major project in China.

He has just returned from China where he and Nina participated in the dedication of the “Flying Tiger Heritage Park” museum, located in Guilin, China.

Larry will give us an update on the Park progress. 9 years in the making , the joint projec t is about to come to fruition. In celebration of the 70th year anniversary of the ending of hostilities in Asia, the Flying Tiger Historical Organization, of which Larry is president, will fly a C 47 from India to Guilin, China where the plane will be a part of the new museum ’s display.

Their plans for that event will be discussed, along with a little bit of past history and a little bit of the current plans with several of our Pine Mountain Lake friends and pilots who are involved.

March 2015 Meeting

Calcutta” Safety Trivia Contest Moderated by Marle Hewett Saturday, April 4 th McGowan’s Hangar @6PM

Here’s how it works:

When you enter the hangar , you’ll be randomly assigned to a team. Together with your teammates, you ’ ll bid on one of the volunteer pilots who will lead your team and be your “expert” for the evening.

Your bid money will be put into the 50/50 pot along with the bids from all of the teams.

Take your best shot at answering the questions that Marle has prepared .

The winning team will split half the 50/50 pot , with the other half going to the Association.

Our volunteer expert pilots for the events will be: Gabe Coelho, Dianne Cole, Allen Craig, Mike Gustafson, Dale Mueller, Lynne Orloff, Ken Orloff, Norm Peebles, and Jim Thomas (JT) .

Join us for an informative evening of fun

February 2015 Meeting

Bruce Hedlund from Pilots N Paws!
Saturday, March 7th
McGowan’s Hangar @ 6PM

Bruce lives in San Andreas, Ca. Bruce obtained his private pilot’s license in 1970.

He graduated from Arizona State University in 1973 and has a BS in Psychology. He retired twice once from the Air Force as a Major in 1993 and again in 2011 from American Airlines he has flown over 22,000 hours. He has flown B-727, DC-10, Super 80, B-757 and B-767. He currently is flying a Cirrus SR22.

Pilots n Paws is an organization that matches people who rescue, foster, and shelter animals with volunteer pilots and plane owners willing to assist with the transportation of animals.

Sometime in the future

Flying to living in the land way down under

To the pole and back again in search of meteorites

Landon Curt Noll

At Tony and Silvano's hangar, new date, sometime in 2015

Tony will cook her signature "Pasta Carbonara" and PMLAA will grill the meat. Please bring appetizer, salad or dessert.

In 2011, 2013, and 2014, a group from TravelQuest International searched for meteorites just below the surface of the ice in "The Land Waaaaay Down Under".  
Landon Curt Noll, who served as the expedition scientist, will discuss the challenges of working and living in Antarctica.  
Landon will bring a collection of clothing/gear to the talk to help explain how one may comfortably survive in the unique Antarctic climate.  
He will show photos from their last 3 expeditions, including a photographic tour of the South Pole station.  

These expeditions pioneered a new approach to finding meteorites under the Antarctic ice.  
Landon will explain their search method, present some of the challenges they faced and show photos of some of the meteorites they discovered.  
Landon will have one of the specialized detectors used and demonstrate its use. 

Short Bio:

Landon Curt Noll focuses on High-Performance Computing for Cisco by day, and focuses on our inner solar system as an Astronomer by night.

Landon has made astronomical observations during total solar eclipses in the US, Turkey, Zambia, Australia, Antarctica, Libya, China, Eniwetok and French Polynesia.
He served as the expedition scientist for a team that searched for meteorites in the Antarctic ice at and near the South Pole.
 
As a mathematician, he developed or co-developed several high-speed computational methods and as held or co-held eight world records related to the discovery of large prime numbers.
Landon Curt Noll is the 'N' in the widely used FNV hash. He is credited in Wikipedia as the co-inventor (with John Horton Conway) of a system for naming numbers of any size.
 
Landon graduated from Linfield College with a BA in Math/Physics. He is a member of the American Mathematical Society and is an associate of the American Astronomical Society.
 
An online Bio/Vita of Landon may be read at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landon_Curt_Noll
http://www.isthe.com/chongo/tech/astro
http://www.isthe.com/chongo/bio.html

February 7, 2015

Our speaker will be Earl J O’Grady. Earl is 93 years young and was born in San Francisco in 1921 a child of the Great Depression.

After attending grammar school and high school in San Luis Obispo and obtaining his Private Pilots license at age 16, Earl attended the University of Notre Dame and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering.
World War II was underway as he was finishing up at Notre Dame. He volunteered for the US Army Air Corps (forerunner of the Air Force). He was immediately assigned to Williams Field Arizona for flight training.

He reported back home after flight training and received orders for the Presidio of Monterey. Immediately, he was summoned to the commanding General’s office-He thought he was getting in trouble. The General said they needed him badly down under. Earl thought it meant going underwater in a submarine. It turned out, “down under” meant Australia.

He served in World War II flying P40’s, P47s, and P38 Lightnings’s. He flew a total of 263 missions and shot down 9 Japanese planes which made him an “ACE”. He was shot down two times and was released from the Air Force in December, 1945. He was recalled for the Korean War and served from 1950-1952.
From 1964-1972 he served as Mayor for the City of Larkspur for two terms and was a City Council member for three terms.

Earl’s motto is “Live everyday to the fullest".

The February 7th PMLAA meeting will be a soup & salad dinner at McGowan’ s hangar.

Please bring an appetizer, soup, salad or dessert to share.

FYI, great soup recipes can be found at: http://www.countryliving.com/cooking/about-food/soup-recipes

2015 Calendars now $10 each! Contact Kay Smith to purchase your calendar today

PMLAA Christmass Party

PMLAA Christmas Party
December 6, 2014
Tuolumne Trails
6:00PM Cocktails
7:00PM Dinner

$30 Per Person (Includes Tax and Tip)

Menu
Grilled Steak with a Bourbon Mushroom Sauce
Chicken Marsala
Steamed Red Potatoes with Parsley and Butter
Dinner Rolls
Salad
Baklava
Coffee, Iced Tea and Water

No Host Wine, Beer and Soda

PLEASE BRING AN UNWRAPPED GIFT FOR CHILDREN (2-18 yrs) FOR THE  COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS BASKETS.

Return the bottom portion of this flyer with your check made payable to PMLAA and mail to PO Box 131, Groveland, Ca. 95321

Name(s)__________________________________x $30 Per Person_____

Lee Behel, Celebration of Life

Sweet Dreams Lee Behel

Please join Lee’s family and friends in a celebration of Lee’s life on
October 31st from 11:00am to 3:00pm to be held in Lee’s hangars at the
West end of the Pine Mountain Lake Airport in Groveland, CA.

Young Eagles - October 4th, 2014

1. Young Eagles at PML
One of the best ways to show the value of PML Airport is through EAA’s Young Eagles program, starting at 8:30am at the new hangars.

We need volunteer pilots and helpers! Pilots must be EAA members, insured and current. Pilot briefing begins at 8:00am. We also need people to help organize and register the kids. Please call Ed Gregory, 962-5061, to sign-up.

PML Young Eagle events typically draw over 50 enthusiastic youngsters looking forward to an introductory flight. As a result of this experience, some of these kids may become our future pilots.

Community Airport Day - October 4th, 2014

Community Airport Day offers fun and adventure all afternoon. Invite your friends and neighbors and prepare to get involved! Watch your email for set-up and tear-down times.

The event starts at noon and finishes at 3:00pm, followed by dinner at 6:00pm for PMLAA members at Kay Meermans’ hangar. During the afternoon you’ll see fly-bys and formation flying, model airplanes, precision landing contests, skydivers and winged suits, and special aerial displays. You can also exhibit your plane or car, participate in flour bombing and spot landing contests, or help sell refreshments. Contact Catherine Santa Maria, 962-7904 to volunteer.

This event is designed to showcase the benefits of our local airport and build support in the community.

September Meeting

Mike Melvill on September 6th

At Wayne, Shane, and Al ’ s Hangar at 6:00 PM

Mike Melvill retired in October of 2007 as Vice President/General Manager, a Test Pilot and one of
10 owners of Scaled Composites, LLC in Mojave, California. He worked for Burt Rutan for 31
years, and has 29 years of experience as an experimental test pilot.

He holds an FAA Commercial pilot’s certificate, ASEL, AMEL, instrument airplane, Rotorcrafthelicopter
and Glider. He received his Astronaut wings when he became the nation’s first
Commercial Astronaut, flying SpaceShipOne to above 100 km on June 21st 2004.

He has accumulated 9200 flight hours in 136 fixed wing-types, 11 helicopters and 10 glider types.
He has flown 4 WW1 replica aircraft; A 1913 LeRhone rotary powered Sopwith Tabloid, a 1915
Gnome rotary powered Sopwith 1½ Strutter, a Gnome rotary powered Sopwith Camel and a
Hispano Suiza powered RAF SE5a. All have tail skids, no brakes and use original 100 year old
engines!

He was awarded the Ivan C. Kincheloe trophy in 1999 by the Society of Experimental test Pilots for
high altitude developmental flight-testing of the model 281 Proteus Aircraft. He was awarded his
second Ivan C. Kincheloe trophy at the 2005 annual SETP Symposium for his work flight-testing
SpaceShipOne.

He holds nine US National and nine World speed and altitude records in Rutan’s Catbird, Proteus
and SpaceShipOne aircraft.
• He has flown 10 ‘FIRST’ flights of Burt Rutan’s unique aircraft designs.
• He built and flight-tested his own VariViggen and Long-EZ homebuilt aircraft.
• He and Dick Rutan flew their Long-EZ’s around the world as a flight of two in 1997.
• He is a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
• He has been a member of AOPA for 45 years.
• He is an Honorary member of Daedalians 56th Flight, Edwards AFB
• He is a Lifetime member of the EAA and a member for 41 years.

2014 Block Party

August 9th: PMLAA Block Party

Join us for an evening of fun!

Stroll around the taxiway, check out the open hangars and airplanes on display, and
participate in the “poker run” to collect your winning hand.

We’ll have raffle tickets with prizes donated by local
businesses.

Brats will be cooking at the Barber’s hangar; please bring a side dish or dessert to share.
Looking forward to seeing you there!

June 2014 Meeting

Aviation Nose Art: “From Sirens to Sea Monsters”
Jerri Bergen

on June 7th at 6:00 PM
Potluck Dinner: The McGowan’s Hangar

Jerri Bergen, owner of Victory Girl, an aviation art services company, will present an informative and entertaining presentation titled ‘Aircraft Nose Art: From Sea Monsters to Sirens and Back Again’.
Jerri Bergen and her company ‘Victory Girl’ at Cable Airport in Upland, CA, have designed and/or painted
hundreds of nose art pieces on leather flight jackets, aircraft, RC models, hangar walls, and even bathroom tiles!

This slide show presentation takes a historic view of aircraft nose art, its origins in WWI, the heyday of nose art in WWII, and how the art form is faring today. Jerri has designed nose art for many commercial, military and general aviation aircraft – all of which have a story behind them. Jerri and her husband Chris, both AAHS members, own several aircraft, including a 1966 Mooney M20C, a Marine OY-1, and a 1941 Porterfield.

Jerri enjoys the history and stories behind aircraft nose art, and is pleased to present some of these stories for your enjoyment. See the Victory Girl website at www.victorygirl.com for more information.

May 2014 Meeting

Stories of Jimmy Doolittle
Jonna Doolittle Hoppes
May 3rd Potluck Dinner: Wayne and Al’s “Toy Box” Hangar at 6:00 PM

Jonna Doolittle Hoppes is the founder and executive director of The Doolittle Foundation, an organization dedicated to making US military history available to students. She is currently involved in developing lesson plans for teachers in public, private and home school setting s and in setting up programs that link veterans with local schools. Her lectures are focused on encouraging veterans to record their individual histories.

Ms. Doolittle Hoppes is the author of two books. Calculated Risk: The Extraordinary Life of Jimmy Doolittle is a memoir of her famous grandfather, aviator Jimmy Doolittle and his equally extraordinary wife, Joe. Her second book, Just Doing My Job is a collection of biographical stories from World War II. Calculated Risk has been nominated for a Colby Award by the Pritzker Military Library. The Library's mission is "to expose students, faculty, and the general public to the works and views of authors, historians, journalists and national figures to educate, enlighten and inspire."

Jimmy Doolittle’s autobiography, “I Could Never Be So Lucky” remains a favorite for aviators world wide, but Calculated Risk presents the same information about Jonna’s Grandparents in a warm family setting based on conversations with her father, John, and her Grandmother, Joe, Jimmy and Joe’s many letters to one another, particularly through the war years, and technical inputs from Jimmy’s previous autobiographer, Carroll Glines. Jimmy’s contributions to aviation are numerous and significant. Jonna takes you through each of them in the setting in which they happened, how they affected the family and himself. We know the results and how many of them changed history, both in aviation and for the United States. Jonna is currently writing a third book, “Just Doing My Job, Too” and is actively seeking stories to share in the book. She is on the executive board of the Air Force Historical Foundation, on the Board of Directors for the Warhawk Air Musuem in Nampa, Idaho, and an advisor to the Jimmy Doolittle Air and Space Museum at Travis Air Force Base

April 2014 Meeting

Accidents Deconstructed
Dr. Ken Orloff on April 5th
Potluck Dinner: The McGowan’s Hangar at 6:00 PM

Ken and his wife Lynne (the “Pres”) are permanent residents at Pine Mountain Lake. Ken has been a full-time
resident here since 1986. They live on the north taxiway loop, along with their three horses, three cats, one dog,
four chickens, a rooster, and, by the way, their airplanes – a Ryan PT-22, a V-35B Bonanza, and a Lancair IV-P
that was a ten-year project that first flew in 2002. Also, to hopefully break out of it shell and fly soon is Ken’s
Marquart Charger biplane project that he has been building since – well, let’s just say it feels like forever.
Ken has a B.S. in Physics from Harvey Mudd, an M.A. in Physics and a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aeronautical
Engineering from UC Santa Barbara. He is a licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic and holds FAA
Inspection Authorization. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, a CFI for airplanes and helicopters, and a
CFII for airplanes. Since his first flight as a student pilot in 1964, Ken has accumulated in excess of 8000 hours of
flight time.

Ken’s business, Orloff Consulting, has been providing aviation accident consulting services to both plaintiffs and defendants in litigation for more than 25 years. Since 1981, every few years, Ken has been the PMLAA monthly speaker, telling us about his aircraft accident investigations and courtroom experiences as an aviation accident
expert witness. Using multi-media graphics, computer simulations and animations to simplify complex subjects, Ken has presented his opinions in courtrooms around the world.

In the past several presentations, Ken has given overviews of a number of his cases, but this time he will present only two, so as to go into more detail. The first is the case involving a Lancair Columbia 400 that crashed at the Portland International Airport, and the second is the case of a Robinson R-44 helicopter that crashed at an
airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Ken will present the evidence for the accidents and his reconstruction of the sequence of events. As he goes through the details of the accidents, all of us in the audience can try to sort it all out and decide what happened; he will then tell us how each case turned out.

March Event

Flying the U - 2 and T - 38
Lt. Col. Jon “Huggy” Huggins on March 1 st

Potluck Dinner: Jeff and Vicky Benzing’s Hangar at 6:00 PM

Lt. Col. Jon " Huggy" Huggins was born in Southern Texas where his father was an engineer for NASA and he attended elementary school with the children of the Apollo program astronauts. He knew at the age of eight he wanted to be in aviation in some form. He entered the Air Force ROTC scholarship program and was offered a pilot slot by the Air Force. He is a current instructor pilot for T - 38s and U - 2s assigned to Beale Air Force Base. As you might imagine, not many people get to fly a U - 2. O nly 862 have flown it in its 55 - year history. When asked what it took to fly the U - 2, "Huggy" answered, "You have to be a little bit twisted and a little bit weird and a little bit of a nut case, ha, ha!” .....

February Meeting

Stories of Pancho Barnes by Barbara Hunter Schultz

February 1st Potluck Dinner: Kay Meerman’s Hangar at 6:00 PM

Barbara Hunter Schultz has been a private pilot since 1978 and lives with her husband on their own airport near
Lancaster, CA. Her first airplane was a 1950 Cessna 140A, which they still have along with a Beech 18 and
several others. She is a member of the Ninety-Nines (an International Association of women pilots), International
Women’s Air and Space Museum, EAA (Experimental Aviation Association), and WAI (Women in Aviation). She
has written “Pancho, The Biography of Florence Lowe Barnes”, “Flying Carpets, Flying Wings” (a biography about
Moye W. Stephens, his friends, and his achievements in aviation), and Wedell-Williams Air Service (a book on
Jimmy Wedell and his aircraft). She also has written an article for the American Aviation Historical Society Journal
on Elizabeth Ulysses Grant McQueen, once dubbed “the arch godmother of aviation”.

December 7th is Christmas party

November 2nd is Italian Night

Our November 2nd meeting will be an Italian Night at Tony and Silvano Gai's Hangar.

Tony is going to prepare pasta with meat sauce, vegeterian pasta, and roast beef for the entire membership. Toni would like everyone to bring a side dish to go with this wonderful meal. Please bring either a salad, appetizer, or dessert to complement the meal.

Wayne and "his angels" will be the speakers.

Details to follow.

October 5th Is Community Airport Day!

Community Airport Day at PML emphasizes the important contributions of our airport to the PML community. After the Rim Fire air attack fire fighting staged from PML, the community certainly has new appreciation for our little airport.

We hope to have a great local turn-out of non-pilots to learn about and enjoy all that PML Airport has to offer. Note, this is not a fly-in.

There are two events on October 5th.

1. Young Eagles at PML
One of the best ways to show the value of PML Airport is through EAA’s Young Eagles program, starting at 8:30am at the new hangars.

We need volunteer pilots and helpers! Pilots must be EAA members, insured and current. Pilot briefing begins at 7:30am. We also need people to help organize and register the kids. Please call Michael Thoben at 962-0503 to sign-up.

PML Young Eagle events typically draw over 50 enthusiastic youngsters looking forward to an introductory flight. As a result of this experience, some of these kids may become our future pilots.

2. Community Airport Day
Community Airport Day offers fun and adventure all afternoon. Invite your non-pilot friends and neighbors and prepare to get involved!

Here is the schedule – subject to change:

Friday

• 4:00pm Set-up at Kay Meermans’ hangar
• 4:00pm Display aircraft in place. Call Ken Helling, 962-7597, to sign-up.
• 5:00pm Set-up for Young Eagles

  
  Saturday

• 11:00: PMLAA food stand opens. Contact Nikki Grimes to help, 962-0763.
• 11:30:  Brief formation flight teams at airport office  (Wayne Handley).
• 11:45:  Brief spot landing and flour bomb pilots at office. Call Rich (962-7928) to sign-up.
• 12:00:  Flag Jump and National Anthem (Rex Pemberton)
• 12:10  Beech Boys and West Coast Ravens Formation teams perform.
• 12:40   Model airplanes (John Andrews) & quad copter demonstrations
• 12:55   Wing suits jump (Pete Swan)
• 01:20   First group of flour bombers
• 01:30   Second group of flour bombers
• 01:40   Powered para glider (Rex Pemberton)
• 01:50   First spot landing contest – Navy rules
• 02:00   Second spot landing contest 
• 02:25   Car/aircraft race
• 02:35   Sky divers
• 02:45   Motorcycle/plane race
• 02:50   Mock airplane races
• 03:00   Wrap-up
• 04:00   Tear-down; everyone help
• 06:00    Potluck Dinner at Kay Meermans’

September Meeting

Thomas B. Haines
Editor in Chief & Senior Vice President of AOPA
 to Speak on September 7th!

Where: The Michael Thoben’s Hanger at 6:00 PM September 7th  2013

The PMLAA is excited to have Thomas Haines join us in September. He is a pivotal influence in general aviation as we know it today. This will also be his first visit to the Mother Lode and Yosemite. Please come out and welcome Mr. Haines and share with him why we all love aviation and this area so much.

Thomas B. Haines was appointed Senior Vice President and Editor in Chief, AOPA Publications in July 1994 and named Senior Vice President of Media in December 2009. He manages a staff of 22 writers, editors, graphic artists, photographers, videographers, developers, Web specialists, and support personnel.
           
He oversees publication of AOPA Pilot Magazine, the world’s largest aviation magazine; Flight Training magazine, a monthly magazine specifically for student pilots and flight instructors; the weekly AOPA ePilot electronic newsletter; the Flight Training edition of ePilot, AOPA Online and four other Web sites; and the association’s video-on-demand channel, AOPA Live. An award-winning author of hundreds of magazine articles, he is the host of the association’s weekly streaming Web news magazine, AOPA Live This Week, which in its first year of production became aviation’s largest regularly scheduled web show. AOPA Pilot received the 2006 Gold EDDIE Award for association publications from Folio: Magazine, publishing’s highest honor.
           
Under his leadership, the AOPA Media Division has achieved record growth, launched successful new print and Internet products, and achieved integration of its printed publications and the Internet, serving AOPA members wherever they are.
           
Before joining AOPA staff in 1988, Haines served as executive editor for Professional Pilot Magazine, and as a newspaper reporter and radio announcer.
           
Haines holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Mount St. Mary’s University and a BA degree in Journalism with a Communications Media minor from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is a 3,000-hour private pilot with multiengine and instrument ratings. He owns a Beech A36 Bonanza and holds a single-pilot type rating in the Eclipse 500.

Summer Block Party: August 10th

Summertime, balmy nights, good food and lots of fun and prizes await us in the hangars on the back taxiway. Dinner tables will be set up in the Barber’s hangar. Killer Margaritas and Frothy Beer will be available. Look for the Poker Tables to get your lucky card in each of the neighboring hangars. Various airplanes for eye-candy will be parked nearby. We ask that you bring a pot luck dish to accompany the fabulous BBQ of hotdogs and polish sausages provided by the Association. In addition to the normal 50/50 drawing, there will be prizes given to the top 3 Poker hands and we will raffle off other prizes as well. So buy those Raffle Tickets! For the Poker “Run”, you will stroll through the various color-coded hangars to draw a playing card at each and have a sticker placed on your Poker Hand Sheet. You will give your sheet to the Poker Judges in the Barber hangar where it will be tallied after you have visited all the hangars. The night’s festivities will continue with dancing in the Barber’s hangar after table breakdown has been completed.

Next Meeting: The McGowan's Hanger at 6:00 PM June 1st 2013

Colonel Robert S. Kimbrough
(USArmy) NASA Astronaut to Speak on June 1st!
Where: The McGowan's Hanger at 6:00 PM June 1st 2013

Robert Shane Kimbrough, a United States Army Coronel and Chief of the Robotics Branch at National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NASA, will be joining us at the McGowen’s hanger on June 1st.
Kimbrough was part of the first group of candidates selected for NASA astronaut training following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.  He flew on STS-126 Endeavour (November 14 to November 30, 2008) launched at night from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California. It was NASA's 4th shuttle flight in 2008 and the 27th shuttle/station assembly mission. The 16-day mission included expanding the living quarters of the space station to eventually house six-member crews by delivering a new bathroom, kitchenette, two bedrooms, an exercise machine and a water recycling system. During the mission, Kimbrough performed two spacewalks, logging a total of 12 hours and 52 minutes of EVA. STS-126 also delivered a new resident to the station, replacing Greg Chamitoff, Expedition 17/18 with Sandy Magnus, Expedition 18. STS-126 returned to Earth after completing 250 orbits in over 6 million miles.
Kimbrough graduated from West Point in May 1989 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He entered the U.S. Army Aviation School in 1989 and was designated an Army aviator in 1990. In late 1990, he was assigned to the 1/24th Aviation Regiment “Vipers”, 24th Infantry Division (M) at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, and was deployed to Southwest Asia where he served in the same battalion with our president, Eric Henderson during Operation Desert Storm. He served as the 1/24th AVN Alpha company platoon leader, aviation liaison officer, and attack helicopter battalion operations officer. In 1994, he was assigned to the 229th Aviation Regiment (Attack) (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he commanded an Apache helicopter company as well as the Regimental headquarters company. After completing a masters of science degree at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1998, he was assigned as an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the United States Military Academy.

In September of 2000, Kimbrough joined the NASA team at the Johnson Space Center (JSC), and was assigned to NASA's Aircraft Operations Division at Ellington Field in Houston, where he served as a Flight Simulation Engineer (FSE) on the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA).
Kimbrough was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in May 2004. In February 2006, he completed Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training, T-38 flight training and water and wilderness survival training. Completion of this initial training qualified him for various technical assignments within the Astronaut Office and future flight assignment as a mission specialist. Kimbrough completed his first spaceflight in 2008, logging a total of 15 days, 20 hours, 29 minutes and 37 seconds in space and 12 hours and 52 minutes of Extravehicular Activity (EVA) in two spacewalks. Kimbrough currently serves as the Robotics Branch Chief for the Astronaut Office.

Next Meeting: May 4th 2013, The Peebles’ Hanger at 6:00 PM

Marle Hewett to Speak on May 4th!

Where: The Peebles’ Hanger at 6:00 PM May 4th 2013

Our very own resident Marle Hewett will present an evening of stories and behind-the-scenes tales from the Redbull Stratos mission, Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking skydive last October that captured the imagination of the world.
Marle has had a long and storied aviation career. He was an aircraft carrier pilot (fighter and attack), flying A-4s and A-7s off the USS Oriskany and the USS America in the Western Pacific before and during the Vietnam war. He flew F-104s and F-106s at the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, the former to 89,000 feet.
Retired from the Navy as a Commander after 20 years, Marle joined the civilian work force, working at Northrop, NASA Dryden, and various positions as a consulting engineer for flight testing worldwide, including the Douglas C-17 test program, Lockheed F-22 test program, Saab Scania (Sweden) JAS-39 (Gripen) test program, Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 (Golden Eagle) test program, and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL-India) Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) test program. 

Stratos Project
It all started seven years ago.  Felix Baumgartner, a Red Bull (RB) B.A.S.E. jumper and former Austrian Army paratrooper, convinced RB management that they should go after a record set by Captain Joe Kitttinger, USAF, in 1960. He had skydived from an altitude of 103,000 feet and survived, proving that a pilot in a space suit could successfully eject from a crippled high-flying plane at extreme altitudes and survive.  No one had ever broken that record despite several attempts.  RB assembled an amazing international team of engineers, scientists, skydivers, pilots, aerospace medical specialists and media people led by Kittinger  (at 85) that culminated in Felix jumping from a capsule designed and built by the team and hauled aloft by a huge helium filled balloon to 128,000 feet on October 14th last year at Roswell, NM.  Five records were set including the fastest skydive ever (837 mph) and the first time a human had gone supersonic without the help of an airplane (Mach 1.27). 

Marle was a member of that team first as a part time technical consultant on high altitude Physics and high speed Aerodynamics, then full time.  The final mission was a seminal event for the team and they will all remember the long journey leading up to it.  They made history. Eight million people saw it live on TV and one hundred million have seen “Space Dive” on the Discovery and National Geographic channels since.
Marle’s talk will be about all the backstories: the team, the technical challenges and solutions, the risks, Felix’s meltdown, the Frenchman’s Lawsuit, a curious “movie” cult atmosphere superimposed on a challenging engineering effort, and an army of cynics that said we were all crazy (true).

Next meeting: The Benzing’s Hanger at 6:00 PM April 6th 2013

Pembertons to Speak on April 6th!
Where: The Benzing’s Hanger at 6:00 PM April 6th 2013

Our very own, Rex and Melissa Pemberton, have created one of the most unique husband and wife airshow performances in the world! There individual stories are remarkable on their own, but together they’re a force on the world stage of airshows on all continents.
On 31 May 2005 Rex made history by becoming the youngest Australian to climb to the summit of Mt Everest, after raising in excess of $100, 000 to support his dream. Having delivered significant Return on Investment to his sponsors, Rex raised a second 100k of funding to support his successful quest becoming the 3rd youngest person in the world to climb the highest mountain on all seven continents.
Rex is not only an athlete he is also a keynote speaker and facilitator. Rex has delivered over 400 corporate presentations to over 50,000 people across 7 continents. His client list includes global companies, corporations like Commonwealth Bank, St George bank, Panasonic, Flight Centre Hewlett Packard, Seagate technologies, Genentech and Google. If that isn’t enough; Rex is also a world-class skier, sky diver, and a new FAA licensed pilot.
Melissa was introduced to aviation and aerobatics by her flying grandmother in a Cessna 150 Aerobat - the same airplane she took to EAA AirVenture as a newly minted private pilot in 2002. During her 2003 trip to Oshkosh, Melissa saw the "Stars of Tomorrow 2003" program, sponsored by Sean D. Tucker and Mike Goulian. They mentored six future air show pilots to start the new program and introduce young talent to the Oshkosh AirVenture audience.
Inspired by the program's outreach to young pilots, Melissa returned to college at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona with a determination to learn and compete in Aerobatics. In less than one year under the coaching of Sergei Boriak and the mentoring of Wayne Handley, Melissa went from first-time Aerobatic Contestant at the Sportsman Level to Third Place Overall in Intermediate at the 2004 U.S. National Championships (1st place Unknown, 2nd place Known, 3rd place Freestyle) and began to fly her first airshows. On October 26, 2004, Sean D. Tucker invited Melissa to be one of three pilots chosen for the "Stars of Tomorrow 2005."
After competing at the Advanced level with her Pitts S-2C Melissa received delivery of her new Zivco Edge 540. In the summer of 2006 she began competing at the Unlimited level in which she placed 1st at her first competition of the season. Melissa became the youngest female ever to be a member of the US Unlimited Aerobatic Team at the 2006 Nationals, and then repeated that prestigious qualification again in 2012.

Young Eagles at Columbia

Brigadier General Bob Cardenas to Speak on March 2nd

Where: The McGowan’s Hanger at 6:00 PM March 2nd 2013

The PMLAA is thrilled to have Brigadier General Robert “BoB” Cardenas, World War II veteran, “Right Stuff” test pilot, member of the San Diego Mayor’s Veteran Advisory Board, and Director on the Board of the Veterans Memorial Center & Museum as our guest speaker in March.

BG Cardenas was selected by Colonel Albert Boyd in the summer of 1947 as Officer in Charge of the X-1 project at Muroc, California, and Capt. Chuck Yeager as pilot, Lt. Bob Hoover as back-up pilot and Capt. Jackie Ridley as Project Engineer. As commander and pilot of the B-29 launch aircraft, Cardenas was the B-29 pilot on all of Yeager’s flights up to and including the first supersonic flight on October 14th, 1947. In December of 1947, Cardenas made his first flight in the Northrop YB-49 “flying Wing”. Cardenas was designated Principal Project Pilot for the YB-49 test program and flew the evaluation tests from which a US Government decision to purchase the YB-49 would be made. Al Boyd selected Captain Glen Edwards to replace Cardenas as the project pilot while Cardenas completed his engineering degree. Cardenas checked out Edwards in the YB-49 on May 20th and 21st 1948. On June 5th, while Cardenas was taking his new bride to meet his parents when he heard on the radio that the Wing had crashed killing Capt. Glen Edwards, Maj. Danny Forbes, 1st Lt. Ed Swindell and civilians Mr. C. Lesser and Mr. C. H. LaFountain. Cardenas was ordered to return to finish the testing and find out what had caused the crash of theYB-49.

Come March 2nd and hear more amazing stories from a true living legend

February 2nd: First PMLAA meeting of 2013

Julie Clark (http://julieclarkairshows.com/) will be our guest speaker @Lee Behel's Hanger

A pilot for more than 42 years and a retired Northwest Airlines Captain, Julie Clark has logged more than 31,000 accident-free hours in the air and is rated in more than 66 types of aircraft. Marking her 32nd year as a solo aerobatic air show pilot, Julie has earned the admiration of fans everywhere and garnered many awards and honors. Read more about Julie Clark

COME JOIN US FOR AN OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS

Pine Mountain Lake Airport Day

On Saturday, October 6th, The Pine Mountain Lake Aviation Association will be hosting our annual Airport Day event at the Pine Mountain Lake County Airport in Groveland.  As traditional, we will demonstrate our flying skills with formation flybys, skydiving, spot landing and flour bombing contests, airplane vs. car / motorcycle races, and remote controlled airplane flying demonstrations.  The fun starts at noon and runs until 5:00 PM.  Our refreshment stand will keep all attendees well fed and hydrated.

In the morning starting at 9:00 AM and running until noon, our local Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA Chapter 1337) will host a Young Eagle's event. Chapter pilots will fly youngsters between ages 8-17 on short flights in a variety of our association airplanes.  Youngsters must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who will be required to complete and sign a registration form prior to flying.  Be there at 9:00 AM.  The goal of the EAA's Young Eagles program is to light a fire in those young hearts and pass on our aviation heritage to the next generation. For more information, contact Ed Sunday at (209) 533-1405 our Michael Thoben at (209) 962-0503. For more information on the afternoon events, contact Eric Henderson at (209) 962-0503.

Sep 8 PMLAA meeting: VIETNAM LEGACIES

Vietnam: it's almost a mythic era now. Not "The Good War" Brokaw wrote about, but the war that caused great schisms within our nation. Each war, whether popular or unpopular, however, is fought by the young warriors whose turn it is to wage it. And these warriors always have stories to tell.

In PMLA we have a number of veterans. On Saturday, September 8th, we'll hear tales from four of our Vietnam combat veterans, four guys whom you actually know quite well: Norm Peebles, Joe Riley, and Ed Peters were Army types who flew as pilots or crewman in helicopters. Our fourth speaker, a carrier pilot in Vietnam, is our own PMLAA president, Marle Hewett. Our speakers will tell stories on how their flying experiences in Vietnam relate to the way we fly today.

Of course, all of you will have the chance to ask questions, too. No books have been written by these four; they're simply sharing their stories about their experiences.

June 2nd

It's summertime! Balmy nights, good food, and lots of fun and prizes await us in the hangars on the back taxiway. Be there at 5:30 and let the fun begin!
Marie and Randy Barber have been busy planning a great evening for us. Dinner tables will be set up at their hangar and "Killer Margaritas", other drinks, salads and desserts will be in Shane Margrave's hangar. Here's where you come in! Our Pot Luck contributions will be either salads or desserts. Yum! But before we eat these treats and the burgers and dogs our special PMLAA crew will be grilling for us, we'll enjoy appetizers on our POKER TOUR through five color-coded hangars. You have to visit all five hangars to play the game. These generous tenants will be our hangar hosts. The Orloffs, Jim Thomas, the Sandlings, the Harrisons, Pat & Bill Thomas will check you in as you play your poker hand. You'll draw a card and get stickers to fill out your Tally Sheets. Ken Helling will assist with golf cart transport between hangars when required.
You will definitely want to play because Marie has lined up numerous awesome prizes for the winners. Perhaps you'll win the $100 gift certificate for Serendipity donated by Yosemite Bank. Or one of three $50 gift certificates from the Charlotte Hotel, The Groveland Hotel, and our own generous Red Rossio. There will be other terrific prizes associated with our raffle tickets, too,-- besides the 50/50 drawing. Two judges will tally the results of the Tally Sheets at the Final Checkpoint (somewhere near the Barber's) before we have dinner. It will be high suspense!
There's even a speaker to entertain us further after we've eaten. He's Gary Steinhauer, Regional Director of the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor. (There's also a site in Sausalito). And he's keeping his talk brief to allow us to fully enjoy the entire evening's events.
Winners will be announced after Gary's talk. If there is a tie for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd places, we'll have a quick 5-card draw game among the "contenders".
Then we'll take down most of the tables to move into the "Dance Party" portion of our evening. Phil Hickerson is going to pump up the volume and help us dance the night away.
So we'll see you there!

June 2nd – Commander Kenny Fields, United States Navy Retired & Colonel George Marrett, United States Air Force Retired present "The Rescue of Streetcar 304"

at 6:00 PM at a pot luck at Suzanne and Mel's Hangar

Next Meeting May 12th

May 12th – Our Own Dr. Ken Orloff, Aircraft Accident Investigator, Consultant, Expert Witness Extraordinaire
presents
"Recipes for Creating Your Own Accident", at 6:00 PM at a pot luck at Lee Behel's Hangar.

Next Meeting - April 7th

Einar Enevoldson, NASA's High Flying Test Pilot and Current Sailplane World Altitude Record Holder
presenting: "Soaring Beyond the Clouds".
At 6:00 PM at a pot luck at Norm and Patty Peebles' hangar.

Next Meeting - March 3rd

William M. Behrns, An American Ace in WWII's CBI, presenting:
"The San Joaquin Siren"
at 6:00 PM at a pot luck at the Lee Behel Hangar (new owner of the Blankenburg's property)

Next Meeting - Feb. 4th

J. R. Williams, President of the League of World War One Aviation Historians
will present
"The Last Flight of the Red Baron"
at 6:00 PM at a pot luck at Kay Meermans' hangar

PMLAA Christmas Party

Christmas Party for PMLAA Members Saturday, December 3 at 6:30pm at Buchners' hangar. $25 per person for dinner and dancing. Reservations required by November 23. Click here for all the information and reservation form

October 2011

October 29th, Stan Stokes, Aviation Artist, Muckels' hangar

Next PMLAA meeting is October 29 at 6:00pm at the Muckels' hangar, Guest speaker is famed aviation artist Stan Stokes.

Prints of his art work will be available for a donation to the Tuskegee Airmen Scholarship fund.

John Muckel is generously providing a full Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, featuring Diestal turkey and potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce and rolls from The Home Place in Sonora. Members are asked to bring an appetizer or dessert to share.

September 24 - Airport Day

Community Airport Day at Pine Mountain Lake Airport Sept. 24 - Noon - 3:30pm

• Formation flying
• Pilot contests
• Flying demonstrations
• Skydivers
• Aircraft on display.

All Welcome - Free Admission

September 24 - Young Eagles

The Pine Mountain Lake Airport will host a Young Eagle Rally on September 24th. Pilots' and volunteers meets at 8:00 AM at the new hangars and flights start at 9 AM. For more info click here.

September 3 Janice Brown, Solar-powered Aircraft, McGowans' hangar

The next Aviation Association event is Saturday, September 3rd at 6:00pm, at the McGowans' hangar. Special thanks to Suzanne for arranging Janice Brown-Sullivan's visit.

Ms. Brown-Sullivan's presentation will cover the testing and development of the world's first solar powered airplanes – the Gossamer Penguin and the Solar Challenger. Join us for a potluck at the McGowans' hangar, Saturday, September 3 at 6:00pm.

Block Party

The next Aviation Association event is Saturday, August 6. We'll be having a "block party" on the back taxiway - between the Barbers' and Margraves' hangars. The guest speaker is Michael Higgins, founder of Flying Adventures magazine. Don't miss his presentation on the "Top 10" flying adventures in the West. PMLAA will be cooking hamburgers. Please bring an appetizer, salad, or dessert to share (lately we've had too many desserts and could use more appetizers or sides). There will also be a donation jar to offset the cost of the hamburgers. See you at the PMLAA Block Party!

Visit to Modesto Tower

• August 13th - Visit to Modesto Tower in conjunction with the Commemorative Air Force Breakfast that will take place at Modesto airport the same day.
• This is an Event organized by EAA Chapter 1337
• To attend you MUST be a member of EAA Chapter 1337 (onsite subscriptions available)
• You must book with Mike Lella

Dick VanGrunsven - July 9th

In addition to our regular PMLAA meeting at 6:00pm, guest speaker Dick VanGrunsven has agreed to give a technical talk for RV pilots, RV builders and friends at 3:00pm at the McGowans' hangar.

For our regular 6:00pm event, PMLAA will provide hot dogs and burgers. Please bring an appetizer, salad or dessert, and remember to pack a serving utensil. Margarita Mike will have La Machina running too!

July 4th, 2011

"Flying Adventures with Skychick!" Ramona Cox
June 4, 6:00pm at Carol Simpson?s Hangar.

May 7th, 2011

On May 7th, PMLAA is honored to host Peter Garrison from Flying Magazine as our guest speaker. Mr. Garrison is a self-taught aeronautical engineer who writes about what makes airplanes work and how to improve them.He has written for Flying Magazine since 1968 and currently contributes two monthly columns, Technicalities and Aftermath.

He also contributes to Smithsonian Air & Space and Conde Nast Traveler. Peter will speak about the Melmoth planes he designed and built, the process, the technology, and how he achieved his design goals. Join us at Kay Meermans' hangar at 6:00pm on May 7th for a potluck dinner and to meet and learn from Peter Garrison.

Young Eagles at Columbia

On April 16th, the EAA had a successful Young Eagle Rally at the Columbia Airport. Ed Sunday and the EAA Chapter 1337 board want to thank all the pilots and volunteers.

click here to see all the pictures

The Next Young Eagle event is October 1st at Pine Mountain Lake.

Visit To Norcal Approach

April 1st some members visited the Nor-Cal TRACON (NTC)

For a larger version of this picture click here.

Visit To Norcal Approach

April 1st some members visited the Nor-Cal TRACON (NTC) is off the north end of Mather. Eric Henderson is the local coordinator.

The plan will be to fly to Mather, or drive if that is the best option at the time. We can work out ride sharing as we begin to understand who is going and which airplanes will be flying there. We should plan to park at Atlantic Aviation at MHR.

Please contact Eric if you plan to attend (209) 962 0832 or

Next Meeting

April 2 at 6:00pm at the Peebles' hangar on the northside of runway 27

Guest speaker is Lauran Paine, Jr. noted aviation author and columnist.

He has written the"Plane Talk" column in EAA Sport Aviation for the last ten years, after winning Flying Magazine's "Bax Seat Award." Lauran has written about his adventures in military training, as a commercial pilot, observing Oshkosh, and building his own plane. In his Pilot Getaways articles, Lauran has introduced us to great flying destinations all over America. At our April meeting, we'll be fortunate to hear some of his best stories

Next Meeting: March 5th

"Racing at Reno" Lee Behel and Kevin Eldredge
March 5th, 6:00pm at the Benzing Hangar (located mid-field, across from the fuel tank)
Not one, but two, exciting speakers headline our next PMLAA meeting. Experienced Reno Air Racers Kevin Eldredge and Lee Behel will share their experiences preparing for the race and living through it.

February 5th, 2011

February 5 potluck dinner meeting at 6:00pm at the Buchners' hangar, corner of Hemlock and Woodside Way. Speaker: Col. Rob Rowe, Lockheed Chief Test Pilot of U-2 and X-55A Advanced Cargo Composite Aircraft Topic: U-2 Adventures - then and now!

December 11th

December 11th, It's a wrap (PML). PMLAA and Helping Hands will provide chili. Bring unwrapped gifts. It will be at Tuolume Trails.

See the wrap Flyer by clicking here

November 6th

"Flying Tigers" "Honoring the Past –Looking to the Future" Saturday, November 6th, 6PM at the Gais' Hangar. It is a Potluck dinner, bring food for six people.

As many of you know, Larry and Nina Jobe spend a lot of time in China. A few years ago they became passionately interested in the legacy of the Flying Tigers, This week Larry and Nina were honored at the home of Chinese Consul General Gao, in San Francisco where Larry presented a Flying Tiger historical presentation. Now, we get to hear it too and learn about these remarkable men.

For several years now Larry and his volunteer team have been working on a project with the citizens of Lingui County in China to build a historical and memorial park honoring and remembering the Americans and Chinese who, side-by-side, fought to defeat a brutal and determined Japanese enemy in WWII. Their battle was long, their battle was tough, but through mutual cooperation and trust they emerged victorious.

The Flying Tiger Heritage Park in Guilin, China will honor the memory of American forces who fought in China in WW II, collectively known as The Flying Tigers by the Chinese, the American Volunteer Group, (better known as the AVG); as well as the Hump pilots and China-Burma-India theater forces; and the 10th and 14th Army Air Forces under General Claire Chennault.

The AVG entered China before the US entered the war to help the Chinese defend against heavy bombing of Chinese cities and civilians by the Japanese Air Force. With never more than 98 pilots and only 69 operational air planes, under the leadership of Claire Chennault, they were able to stop a Japanese Air Force of over 1000 planes while compiling an aerial combat record that has never been matched.

When the US entered the war against Japan the only route of supply lay over the Himalayan Mountains. Transport pilots flying out of India and Burma hauled in tons of war material and supply to keep the Chinese army and Army Air Forces fighting. They did this at great risk and peril. The Hump route was one of the most dangerous routes you could fly due to high terrain and unpredictable weather. The Japanese Air Force regularly patrolled the route shooting down many unarmed transport aircraft. Proof of how dangerous this route was lies in the fact that more Hump pilots were killed than fighter and bomber pilots combined. That route is sometimes referred to as the aluminum trail because of all the aircraft wrecks along it.

The respect and admiration between the American forces and Chinese in WW II has left us with a legacy of friendship that we hope to be able to show and honor in the Flying Tiger Heritage Park

Larry's presentation will cover the memorial project and the amazing achievements of these dedicated and brave men.

October 2nd - Airport Day at Pine Mountain Lake (E45)

Annual Airport Day/Open House on October 2 from 12:00 – 3:00pm at the Pine Mountain Lake County Airport.  This is a great fun and free way to see our airport and lots of interesting aircraft.

Special events include a radio controlled model airplane demonstration at noon.  At 12:30pm fly-overs and flying demonstrations begin. See amazing aerial work by Clay Lacey and stunning formation flying by “The Beech Boys” (Beech Bonanza pilots) and the West Coast Ravens (RV formation pilots). Jim Mead, an extraordinary air-show announcer from Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose, will be describing the events.  

Flying contests begin at 1:30pm – including flour bombing and precision landing contests. In between special events, visitors can see vintage planes up close.

PMLAA will be selling hot dogs and soft drinks. Admission is free. Please use the Elderberry Way entrance to the airport. 

Register to participate and volunteer at http://pmlaa.org/AD-form.html

October 2nd - EAA Young Eagles (PML)

October 2nd, 2010, 9:00 a.m. at Pine Mountain Lake airport.

Free flights for kids ages 8 - 17.

Kids must be accompanied by a parent or a guardian who must fill and sign a Young Eagles Registration form in person at the event.

We need volunteers and pilots. Please confirm your availability to help with Ed Sunday (Young Eagle coordinator) at 209-533-1405.

Kids should pre-register by clicking here.

For more information visit our Young Eagles page

Poker Run - September 25th, 2010

EAA Chapter 1337 invites all pilots to attend the annual Poker Run that will be followed by a picnic, and the EAA Chapter 1337 members meeting.

TIME: 9 a.m. first card available at Columbia airports

Stops/card locations:

• O22 – Columbia
• CPU – Calaveras
• O27 – Oakdale
• E45 – Pine Mountain Lake
• O22 – Columbia

At noon, after the poker run, bring your own picnic, the EAA chapter will provide soft drinks.
At 1:00 PM EAA Chapter 1337 member meeting.

We need prizes for the Poker Run. If you are interested in donating, please contact Dennis Smith (209) 962 4950.

Pictures courtesy of Jam Adams- Flickr Creative Common License

September 4th, 2010, 6 PM

Regular PMLAA meeting (PML) at Carol Simpson's hangar.

The speaker is Michael Scuro, Navy Helicopter Pilot who was responsible to rescue Apollo Astronauts upun re-entry from space.

Scuro was selected as part of the Apollo 14 Moon Mission Recovery Team, and flew as co-pilot of the Swim One Helo, recovering Alan Sheppard and his crew. Upon return Lcdr. Scuro was designated as an Aircraft Commander and began training new pilots under his command.

Lcdr. Scuro and his family have lived in the Palm Springs Area for forty years and three years ago purchased a home in Pine Mountain Lake and have decided to live their summer months in the beauty of this friendly mountain paradise.

June 18, 19 & 20th

Father's Day Fly-2010 (Columbia) - http://www.fathersdayflyin.com/

June 5th, Airport Fund Raiser for Pine Mountain Lake Airport

EAA Chapter 1337 and PMLAA are organizing an important fund raising even at the tuolumne Trail Campt on June 5th, 2010, to benefit the Pine Mountain Lake Airport. See the full description at:

http://pmlaa.org/Docs/Fund-Raiser-Letter.pdf

Please donate generously using the following form:

http://pmlaa.org/Docs/Fund-Raiser-Form.pdf

Thank You for your support

• Silvano Gai (President EAA Chapter 1337)
• Mike Lella (President PMLAA)

Please book your dinner and see the fliers by clicking here.

Pictures courtesy of heidielliott Flickr Creative Common License

March 6 Presentation at the Buchner Hangar, 6 PM

“Obsession” A film by Ken Codeglia
“Something beautiful... Something fast... And just maybe, the fastest.”

Next Meeting. April 4th is at Antonella & Silvano Gai's hangar at 6:00 pm.

Dinner at 6 PM, Speaker at 7 PM
Dance from 8 PM till sunrise,
with the 10 piece swing band the  “Flashback Band”
Don’t miss it!

Please wear elegant attire.

2009 March

2008 It's a wrap

13th Annual toy drive for needy children

Bring a toy, game or two. You’ll feel good through & through

Saturday December 13th, 6PM at the Blankenburg Museum
20810 Elderberry Way, Pine Mountain Lake Airport - Groveland, CA

MENU
Appetizers - Baguette & butter.
Christmas salad – Mixed baby greens, caramelized walnuts, and dried cranberries in a balsamic vinagrette.
Green beans almondine, wild rice pilaf. Turkey au vin-Roast turkey with a mushroom-Madeira sauce.
Chocolate cake

Hosted beer, wine, champagne, soft drinks & water and a visit from Santa.

Make your check, for $26 per person, payable to
and remit to Ken & Sandy Blankenburg
P. O. Box 203 - Groveland, CA 95321
Include names of those attending. Seating will be
pre-assigned. Reservations will be on a first come,
first served basis.
No refunds after Nov. 30th.

November Event

PMLAA Fund Raiser

PURPOSE: To raise funds to help offset the cost of the two prop strikes that took place at the PMLAA air show in June. These pilots volunteered their time and aircraft to help make our show a success. We would like to help out with their expenses and get their planes back into the air.

GOAL: To raise $10,000 and donate these funds to Dan Vance for his P-51, and Jason Wondolleck for his Staudacher. Excess funds collected, if any, will go into a PMLAA airport improvement account.

Here is the list of all the auction items.

WHEN AND WHERE: Saturday, November 1, 2008 at 6:00 pm. The location will be the new and beautiful heated hangar of Suzanne and Mel McGowan, which is located on the north taxiway at PML airport.

SUMPTUOUS MENU: Egg Roll, Cashew Chicken, Beef with Broccoli, Fried Rice, Chow Mein, Fortune Cookies & back by popular demand, Cup Cakes.

No host bar with the famous margarita machine and music for dancing.

Reservations due by October 24th! First Come, First Served • $20 per person Space is Limited to 225 people (Postmark date will determine reservation priorities.)

October 4th - TIROS (Television Infrared Observation Satellite)

Our next meeting will be the Oktoberfest on October 4th at 6:00 pm. The association will
provide the bratwurst, beer, wine, water and sodas. You bring an Oktoberfest side dish.

The October meeting will be held at Kay Meermans’ HEATED hangar on the South
taxiway.

Our October speaker is Tom Sweeney speaking on the topic of the TIROS (Television Infrared Observation Satellite) plus his 34 years in the aerospace industry. Tom is a member of PMLAA and lives here in PML.
 

Next Meeting

sAugust 2nd Speaker

In 1996, California engineer Carmelo “Nino” Amarena took on the challenge of building a new generation of rocketpacks that would break the barrier plaguing all previous pack designs and embarked on an investigation of what needed to be done, modified or invented to make longer flight a reality. It was a challenge that required much more than merely copycatting. Amarena was trained and educated at the Buenos Aires University of Engineering, in Argentina where he obtained his masters degree in electro-mechanical engineering and upon immigrating to America in 1979, made his home in California’s Silicon Valley.

There he was able to interact with talents in cybernetics, aerospace and electronics industry, allowing him to acquire a set of skills, which forged his “technical generalist” background. His broad technical knowledge eventually landed him the development of a peroxidebased reciprocating engine for GeorgiaTech Research Institute’s “Entomopter” a biomimetic robot that flies like a “dragon fly” insect, a joint project between NASA and GeorgiaTech planned to be sent with a landing Mars probe mission by the end of the first decade of the 21st century.

June Airshow

June 21, 2008 Site: Meermans-Henley Hangar 6:00pm. The Famous Diestal Family Turkey Ranch Barbecue Meet the air show performers. Enjoy music.

Click here to reserve

Click here to reserve

Here are just some of the scheduled activities:

• Airplanes on display
• Skydivers
• Aerobatic Planes (2:30-5:00pm)
• The Blankenburg Museum (12:00 to 2:30 PM)
• Hotdogs, sodas, water for sale
• Barbeque dinner and meeting

PMLAA members and guests only. Reservations and pre-payment required

Click here to reserve

May Meeting

Next months meeting will be held at the Peebles hangar on May 3rd at 6:00 pm. The topic will be flying ARMY HELICOPTERS in one of the most inhospitable environments in the world. Heat, humidity, dirt, rain, mud, jungle, water just to mention a few. There were some pyrotechnic devices also that spiced up the mix at times. The place was Vietnam in the late 60’s.

The speakers, all members of PMLAA, will be Norm Peebles, Joe Riley, and Ed Peters. Our stories will be focused toward educating the audience on what it was like to be a crew member on these aircraft. They will also be on the lighter side of war and I feel you will find them informative and entertaining.

April Event

April 5th at the Benzing's Hangar. Two guest speakers:

• Jim Thomas, airport director, operation of the Pine Mountain Lake Airport from the airport manager’s perspective.
• Paul Price will present an overview of the US Nuclear Weapons Program as he saw it during the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties.

UAVs

March 8th, regular meeting at the Gai's hangar. The speaker will be Tim Just an expert in UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). Read this very interesting description of different types of UAVs.

The meeting is at 5:30 PM, an Italian Potluck.

Cinderella's Ball

At the Buchner's hangar, February 2nd 2008, 6PM.
Please Bring an appetizer or desert to share.

It's a wrap

Saturday December 8th at 6 PM at the Blankenburg Museum. You need to reserve.

November  Meeting

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Last modified: 01/31/2010