I trust you have all had an enjoyable holiday season which included some fun activities like BBQs and flying.

I have been busy accumulating hours on my Onex to lift the test flying restrictions. I am now up to 32 hours with another 8 hours needed to complete the test flying.

The has been some club activity during the holidays.

January 14th saw an impromptu get together of Sonex aircraft as a result of 2 Victorian owners flying over to Adelaide on business. We rallied around the local owners and suggested a meeting at Goolwa airfield.

All up there were 7 aircraft of various models, the 2 Victorian Sonexes, 3 local Sonexes, the Club aircraft, flown by Chris Moore, Lyn Jarvis and Tony Richardson’s aircraft along with Chris Dearden’s Xenos and my Onex.

Quite a sight and possibly the biggest gathering of Sonexes in one place in Australia. There was potentially 2 more Sonexes, 1 at Goolwa and 1 at Aldinga to add to the number but the owners were not available. There are pictures on the club website.

On January 21st the annual American River Flyin at Kangaroo Island was held. I believe 3 club aircraft made it there to enjoy the local hospitality. There were also quite a number of other visiting aircraft including an RAAUS registered P51 Mustang replica. See Chris Dearden’s photos on the club website.

For our first meeting of 2018 coming up on February14th we were to have Rex pilot, Maikha Ly speaking to us. Unfortunately his work roster did not pan out and he is not available that night. We do hope to get him back later in the year.

Instead, member and past President, Ed Herring, has agreed to come in on short notice and speak to us about his experiences as an RAAUS instructor and examiner.

Knowing Ed, he may well have some controversial points to bring up as well !

The council has proposed a Club Flyaway to various parts of Victoria on April 14th-17th. It is designed to be easier for aircraft with limited range and/or speed to complete.

I will give an outline of the event at the club meeting, so make sure you come along if interested.

Please remember to book online if you want to order a meal for the evening. If you are still having difficulty with this then please email Steve Biele or Chris Dearden.

Be reminded that annual membership fees are now due if you have not already paid your $70.

You can do a EFT to the Club bank Account (details online), or pay Greg Tabe or Tim Svenson directly at the next club meeting. You need to be financial to vote on any issues at the Club AGM in March. And remember members can book a meal at the members rate of $20 each instead of the $25 non member rate.

On that note I would like you to consider nominating for the Club Council. We are always looking for new people with fresh ideas to help plan and run the club events. If you feel you are that person then please let me or one of the council know before the AGM.

Blue skies,

Steve

Life will only change when you become more committed to your dreams than you are to your comfort zone.