More Web Site
Updates:
We have installed a
brand-new message board on our Web site! It's a
full-featured board, so unlike the previous board, you'll have to register
and get an account to have full access. But when you do, you'll get nice
perks like e-mail notification of replies to your posts, private messaging
between registered members, and the ability to post polls. The board is set
up with separate forums for Chapter Events, Members-Only posts, and general
Flying Aerobatics subjects.
The Flying Aerobatics section is for general posts
on, well... flying aerobatics! Post your frees here, discuss the ins and outs
of snaps on 45 downlines, hold forth on how to decide when to move up, etc.
Newbies and old hands are welcome!
The Chapter Events forum will be a place to go to
find announcements and discussion on upcoming events of interest to IAC 52
members. Who's going to Maytown? When's the next practice session? Check in
and find out here.
The Members-Only section will be limited to current
Chapter 52 members, and will contain inside info on Chapter issues- items for
the eyes of only members of Chapter 52. The message board administrator will
verify that you are a member of Chapter 52 before you get access to this
section.
The hope is that this message board can become a useful means of
communicating with the Web-enabled members of our Chapter (that's you!). I
encourage you to check it out and register!
[Ed. note: Message board feature was later removed due to lack of use
and spam-bot attacks.]
Web Site Updates:
The pages listing area aviation events and IAC contests
in our area have (finally) been updated! Check out the long
list of fly-ins, air shows, seminars, and more, and the
list of area contests as of 3/15. The
Classifieds page has also been updated, including a new
For Sale ad for the beloved Thin-Air Pitts S-2A (the partners are looking to
step up!).
[Ed. note: the S-2A went to Alan Cassidy, who shipped it to England]
Finally, the Links page has been
updated.
New KJC Contest
Location!
The chapter is looking
at a new location for our contest this year- Flying W Airport (N14) in
Lumberton, NJ. This airport will be a great place to hold a contest.
Everything we could want in a contest venue is there- and it's all right on
the field! Check out
this photo tour of
Flying W, and you'll be impressed as well. The chapter leadership is
currently working out the details with the FAA and airport management. We are
also planning to introduce ourselves to the Flying W community by holding
Chapter meetings and practice days at Flying W- come and help us make a good
first impression! We are also investigating contest dates, with mid-July (the
favored time), all of August, and all of September available. Keep in mind
also that contest volunteers are needed for many positions- the advance setup
team, starter, registration desk, safety inspection, computer scoring, and
more. Stay tuned for more updates!
Kathy Jaffe Award
Funding:
IAC Headquarters has
informed our Chapter that the memorial fund for the Kathy Jaffe Volunteer
Award (given annually by the IAC to an outstanding volunteer) may need an infusion of funding if it is to remain solvent.
This award is named in honor of the late Kathy Jaffe, former Chapter 52
President, contest director, newsletter editor, contributor to Sport
Aerobatics magazine, and tireless enthusiast for the sport of aerobatics.
While we are still attempting to get all the details of the situation, this
may be your chance to make a financial contribution to the memorial fund, and
honor the memory of a beloved figure in our Chapter's history. Stay tuned for
more information.
Chapter Meeting/Dinner Was
Great!
The March 5, 2004 meeting
of Chapter 52 was a smashing
success! It was the best-attended, most enjoyable non-contest event our
chapter has held in years. We combined the meeting with a dinner get-together
at the 94th Bomb Group restaurant at Essex
County Airport. It great to see lots of familiar faces, and catch up on everybody's news. But it was also
wonderful to see so many new faces. You can catch some of those faces in
this photo album of the event.
Hopefully this was only the beginning of a new enthusiasm among our
membership. We've got lots of great plans for the upcoming year, and all we
need to bring them to fruition is for people to participate! Many thanks to
Stephen Seidel, Ron Chadwick, and Alex Belov for putting this event
together.
Chapter E-mail List Is
Live!
Our chapter now has an
e-mail "exploder"- sort of a mini version of the "acro" exploder, just for
Chapter 52 members. The purpose of this e-mail list
is to make it easy for our members to communicate with each other. Want to coordinate a chapter meeting or practice? Send
a news flash to all your Chapter 52 pals? Let
everyone know that you're selling your T and going
Yak shopping? Just send a single e-mail message to
the following address: "iac52-members@iac52.org". The message will reach all the members that I
have e-mail addresses for. Getting on and off the
list is a manual process, so if anybody wants their
e-mail address added or removed, contact
your Webmaster (that's me).
[Ed. Note:
Our mailman service
now automates member list subscription management.]
Member List Updated, More Web Updates In
Progress:
The
member list page has been updated with the latest info
available. Please have a look, and let
the Webmaster know if anything needs correcting. This update is one of
several that are under way here on our Web site. We've changed to a new Web
hosting provider, and this allows us to use some nifty new technology to
improve the way our Chapter uses the Internet (e.g., the mail list described
above).
All of the (printed) news from 2003
