On Saturday 22nd May the club held a BBQ at the Windsock Lounge at Murray Bridge Airfield. A perfect day weather-wise which attracted some two dozen participants but more importantly 6 aircraft flew in. John Siebert arrived in his RV4, Greg Robertson in his Nynja and Peter Bakker in his Sonex, still looking brand new despite having 300 hours on it now. Wayne Champion arrived in my Chipmunk which was looking very nice having been washed by Wayne the day before.
May 22nd was an auspicious occasion for the Chipmunk with the prototype having completed its maiden flight 75 years earlier in 1946 in Toronto, Canada. Most people don’t realise that this aircraft was designed by a Polish engineer immediately following the end of WW2 and was the first project conducted by De Havilland Canada.
To celebrate the occasion in UK 34 Chipmunks convened at Old Warden airfield north of London. 16 of them managed a formation flypast in less than ideal conditions with turbulence and rain showers. Certainly a great tribute to a well-loved aircraft both in military and GA circles.
Coming up on June 26th we have a Bunnings BBQ fund raiser at the recently opened Windsor Gardens store. We have enough volunteers this time around but keep in mind these events will come up quarterly and we don’t want the same folk volunteering every time. Greg Tabe spoke to other clubs doing BBQs at this venue and indications are that we can expect to sell about 50% more stock than we had at Kent Town. That should make it quite lucrative for the club.
The following day, June 27th new member, John Ashcroft, will host an RV7 workshop visit at his home in the Adelaide Hills. He will also throw some snags on the BBQ. About 20 have indicated their attendance so far, so please advise if you want to add your name to the list to help with catering.
Our next club meeting will be on June 9th at our new venue, the West Adelaide Football Club. Those at last month’s meeting reported positive feedback with good space, and an extensive menu which was competitively priced. I have it on good authority that every Wednesday night is Schnitzel night, where a Schnitzel will cost you just $15! For those whose meals were delayed last month, we have spoken to the staff, who promise to do better next time.
The June speaker is Mr Brett Hill, Head of Engineering/Project Manager of local company Airspeeder, who will speak about a new concept of manned electric flying cars for racing. Combining all the components of radio control model drone racing but scaled up to full size with a pilot on board. A fascinating concept with a lot of technical challenges, I’m sure. Come along and hear Brett speak about the challenges.
Blue skies,
Steve
Flying is more than a sport and more than a job; flying is pure passion and desire, which fill a lifetime. –Adolf Galland
