Presidents Message for May 2007 We now have two great educational meetings and a successful tour under our belt for 2007, and the rest of the year is shaping up quite well. We're looking forward to our meeting in Hayward on June 9, followed by our Mothball Fleet tour in July, our Air Racing Pilots' Panel in October, and F-22 and F-35 Chief Test Pilot Tom Morgenfeld will be with us in December. For the first meeting of 2008 we're going to try something a little different, and the program committee is currently working out the logistics. In the last issue of Touch & Go, the board published its "wish list" of items outside of our budget that would improve the value of your membership. The board is appreciative of the responses we received and how quickly a number of members stepped up to answer our call. Long-standing member Andy Melomet (SAH 57) has volunteered to covert our existing meeting videos to DVD. This will form the nucleus of our lending library that will enable those who missed a meeting to see the featured speaker - and we've had a tremendous number of great speakers. The meeting DVD lending library will also enable the society to reach out to other groups or members unable to attend due to geographic concerns. You'd be surprised at the number of out-of-area and out-of-state members we have on the books. Once the DVDs are available, we'll post a list the society's website along with the loan terms. Taking the lead from NorCal AAHS founders Ace and Judy Campbell, we're in the process of acquiring a shrink-wrap machine. This will enable the chapter to present its prizes in a more attractive package while minimizing the amount of "shop wear" they incur traveling from meeting to meeting. We've had a number of people contribute $35 towards this purchase. If you'd like to help, please mail a check to the chapter, or our Treasurer Dan Morgan will gladly accept your donation at the next meeting. Regarding the Mothball Fleet Tour outlined on page 10 of the newsletter, note that seating is limited to 32 people and each member may bring a guest. The last time this tour ran, a large number of people waited until the last minute to reserve a seat and they were left on the beach. May I encourage those with a strong desire to see the Mothball Fleet to make a reservation - Early! As always, please introduce a friend to the Society for Aviation History, and we'll see you in Hayward in June. - Nick Veronico - Nick Veronico Past President Messages are linked below:
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