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MAY Business Meeting Wednesday, May 7, 2008, Auburn-Lewiston Airport (LEW) Auburn, ME, 6:30-8:30 |
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Links Section
New England Section Events
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Spring and Fall 2006 Section Meetings
After a busy Spring planning and preparing for the 5th Annual Seaplane Safety Expo, June saw several Katahdin Wings chapter members crossing the border into Canada to attend the joint Eastern Canada and New England Section’s meeting in St. John, New Brunswick at the St. John Hilton Hotel. Twyla Rogers, Lori Plourd and Shadow Gorrill made great time in Shadow’s yellow Beetle, even with a short security delay at the Canadian border. They all had an excellent time exploring the St. John seaport, watching the ships in the harbor from their hotel room, meeting with old friends from New England Section and making new friends with the Eastern Canada members. After the morning's meetings, there was a very informative presentation by the Canadian Coast Guard Search and Rescue Team, and a lovely lobster dinner set at a rustic summer camp facility that evening rounded out the weekend.
At left, Katahdin Wings members (from L to R) Shadow Gorrill, Twyla Rogers (KW Vice-chair) and Lori Plourd (KW Chair) enjoy the kick-off reception at of the joint Spring Section Meeting. At right, Ninety-Nines from Eastern Canada and New England Sections gathered for a final group photo.
Katahdin Wings Host the 2006 Fall Section Meeting, in Rockland, Maine
Owl's Head Transportation Museum was the location for a kick-off reception of the 2006 Fall New England Section Meeting. The museum graciously opened their large conference room to the New England area Ninety-Nines members. A delicious spread of gourmet Maine-made delicacies made a great afternoon snack for the hungry travelers.
The Museum offered plenty of room for members to socialize, and even allowed the Katahdin Wings Chapter an area to display their informational booth, as well as a display from member Betty Brown, commemorating her days as a WASP. Peggy Loeffler, center (NE Section Gov.) takes a moment to enjoy Betty's memoriablia.
The Museum also treated the Ninety-Nines in attendance to a private guided tour of their extensive collection of wonderfully restored vintage aircraft
The volunteer tour guide allowed for some up-close and hands-on inspection of their displays, as Lori Plourd (at left) does a pre-engine start check. At right, WASPS Sara Hayden and Betty Brown relive their training days in Sweetwater TX in front of a trainer Stearman. For more information, see a complete description of Betty's experience as a WASP, or read The Boston Globe for an interview with Sara Hayden.
The tour of the museum concluded with behind-the-scenes look at aircraft under restoration at the restoration hangar. The New England Ninety-Nines met up again that evening for dinner and a presentation by Katahdin WIngs members Mary Build and Jenny Jorgensen, where they recapped their adventures of flying a Cessna 182 on floats in the 2006 Air Race Classic. Read the Member News and Air Race Log page for a complete description of their adventures
The next morning found the Ninety-Nines ready to get down to business, as soon as the section officers were officially installed. Left to right: Lori Plourd, Section Secretary; Peggy Loeffler, Section Governor; Georgia Pappas, Vice Governor; International Vice President Susan Larson; and Mary Build, Section Treasurer. The meeting covered many topics from yearly donations to Ninety-Nines' various projects, and scholarship application details to review of the successful 2006 Poker Run and planning for the 2007 Poker Run.
New England Section Meeting – Spring 2005
Marsha Taylor (right) attended the Spring 2005 New England Section Meeting, held in Springfield VT, April 22 and 23. While there, she got to meet Sara Hayden (left), member of the Eastern New England Chapter. Sara was a member of the WASPs during WWII. Marsha was very impressed upon meeting her. She said, "I felt so honored to be in that lady's presence. She was so cool too. So humble. What a treasure the ENE has in her."
A high pressure system worked very hard to dominate the New England area weather, and won out on June 5th, providing a “full-house” flying day for the participants of the 2004 N.E. Section Poker Run. After several days of soggy weather, area pilots launched at the opportunity to participate in an event organized to bring pilots out for a fun day of flying.
Pilots, co-pilots and passengers, as well as numerous non-pilot supporters bought 266 hands and tried their luck at winning the top prizes offered by the NE Section 99s. Prizes included a David Clark Headset, a $99 cash prize or a $99 Pilot Shop certificate, several avgas certificates, oil changes, a transponder check, spark plugs, as well as a wide variety of certificates for different flying opportunities such as soaring, seaplane scenic flights and flight reviews. An assortment of aviation-themed books, T-shirts, jewelry, airplane equipment, nostalgic and modern posters, “mystery bags” and many other miscellaneous useful and fanciful items were also offered. Approximately 80 lucky winners came away with a prize or two, or three. The N.E. Section was fortunate to receive so many generous donations from area airports and pilots which allowed them to offer such outstanding prizes.
Members of Katahdin Wings, Eastern New England and Connecticut chapters converged on Fitchburg to pull together and provide an organized and well-executed event
Over 24 aircraft participated, landing at the four other scheduled stops: Laconia, NH; Concord, NH; Keene, NH; and Orange, MA, carrying approximately 40 pilots and passengers to the Fitchburg terminus. Bullock’s Charter Service provided a roomy and comfortable location at the terminus, where The 99s and the Poker Run participants could congregate to enjoy a make-your-own-sandwich lunch and camaraderie, while awaiting the final poker hands to arrive and be tallied.
The Katahdin Wings chapter was in rotation to host this event , but it was a successful combination of Katahdin Wings, Eastern New England and Connecticut chapter members who converged on Fitchburg to pull together and provide an organized and well-executed event. Lunch was simple and satisfying and prizes were swiftly awarded.
The "Prize Patrol" eagerly awaits to begin awarding the prizes.
Each member stepped up to perform their assigned roll in the production and many of them tailored their duties to accommodate shifting responsibilities as the event progressed. As soon as the last prize was awarded, a speedy breakdown and clean up began and in no time at all Bullock’s facility was restored to it’s original state as a welcoming charter service lounge.
Plans for the N.E. Section Poker Run began back in the Spring of 2003 for a Fall 2003 Run, but had to be postponed due to the rained out weekend in September. Yet, judging by the successful completion of the re-scheduled event, it was worth the wait!
Spring Section Meeting 2004
Hosted by the Katahdin Wings
Gray skies and damp weather may have prevailed, but the spirits of the New England Section 99s were soaring. Their Spring Section meeting was a resounding success. In efforts headed by Chapter Chair Jeannie Kannegeiser, the Katahdin Wings treated themselves and their guests to the casual elegance of the Harraseekett Inn, located in the heart of Freeport, Maine.
The weekend meeting, held April 2nd and 3rd, 2004, began on Friday afternoon with a cozy fireside tea provided by the Inn. It was a wonderful ice-breaker, where the Katahdin Wings members could comfortably greet their New England Section guests, where new members got to meet and get to know the veterans, while enjoying the delightful spread.
The 34 attendees had time between tea and dinner to shop the outlets and anchor store, L.L. Bean, that Freeport is famous for. Some opted to take a dip at the Inn’s indoor pool. Revived and refreshed from shopping and swimming, the group met up for dinner at another of Freeport’s historic locations, the Jameson Tavern. It was great opportunity to talk flying, sharing each other’s experiences and adventures. It was a lively discussion that lasted until well after the meal. The banter was broken occasionally by the presenting of gifts.To recognize the effort that Jeannie expended in organizing this event, Katahdin Wings member Jenny Jorgensen gave Jeannie a coveted pair of Lady Bug Clogs. Mary Build treated guest speaker Linda Coffi to a jug of Maine Maple Syrup, and a clever pair of airplane socks. The evening ended with very entertaining stories by Linda, who shared the adventure of her first “real” cross-country, flying from upstate New York to California, most of it solo. She colorfully remined us how much fun it is to fly, and how wonderful the people you meet along the way are.
Saturday morning brought more gray skies, but spirits certainly were not dampened. A hot and hearty breakfast buffet at the Inn energized everyone for a morning business meeting with an equally hearty agenda.
In keeping with the spirit of the location, the time between breakfast and the start of the 8:45 meeting was spent shopping. Katahdin Wings offered aviation-related merchandise that included airplane key chains, stationery, note cards, erasable highlighters, and raffle tickets for an adorable airplane mobile.
Chapter and Section history was also shared through scrapbooks and a photo display board. As the meeting began, attendees were treated to a placesetting that included fun airplane trinkets and an educational CD “Making Your Own Rules.”
The business meeting was presided over by Gov. Pat Theberge, who was quite successful at keeping the meeting moving along briskly while covering topics concerning the 99s and the N.E. Section. Topics included: building an endowment fund that will allow the International Organization to run from the dividends and interest of the goal amount; PR promoting the 99s Professional Network; scholarship opportunities; and the formation of new Internet based chapters.
Reports from each of the four active Chapters were given, after minutes from the previous section meeting and a treasurer’s report were read. Committees gave brief reports of their activities, and issues were discussed.
A special guest, 99s International Secretary Donna Moore, introduced an exciting new avenue for community involvement with “Fly for the Cure.” In efforts to raise breast cancer awareness, Donna and a dedicated committee are spearheading this project which will include gathering pledges for flying as many hours as possible in the months of September and October. This effort will be country-wide and they hope to make it well-known through the use of media promotions.
Other activities in various stages of planning were discussed, such as the early summer Poker Run, airmarking in Mansfield, MA, and a Treasure Hunt in the Sky. The recipient of the Shirley Mann Scholarship, Kimberly Brennan, a student at Daniel Webster College was presented with her scholarship certificate and she was in attendance to graciously and enthusiastically accept it. The N.E. Section Award of Merit was then presented to Katahdin Wings member Mary Build for her outstanding efforts in promoting aviation and her inspirational interaction with everyone she meets
Gov. Pat was presented with a jug of Maine Maple Syrup in recognition of her very active involvement with 99s activities.
Installation of the new N.E. Section officers concluded the ended-on-time meeting, and everyone was free to take in final shopping opportunities or enjoy scenic walks either along the rocky Maine coast or to an antique salt-water farm nearby. Of course many chose to fuel up first at the satisfying Lunch Buffet offered by the Inn.
Even though the weather didn’t allow anyone to fly - the gathering of so many contagiously enthusiastic women pilots charged everyone up for another great summer of flying to come. We all departed feeling excited, ready to soar and to have fun. The general consensus of the attendees was that the accommodations and activities were charming, comfortable and satisfying. Friends old and new said their farewells with exciting plans to meet up again at the Fall Section Meeting to be held in Connecticut, hosted by the CT Chapter, or perhaps at the Poker Run in Fitchburg, MA in June, or at the International Conference in Atlantic City in July. The N.E. Section has proven to be a vibrant and active group of women pilots, eager to share aviation and spread the word. Who thought a meeting could be so much fun!
