Thursday Feb 16
• FEBRUARY GENERAL MEETING
6:00pm-9:00pm Protocol Restaurant 6 PM Cocktails 7 PM Dinner

Members List:

Web Page Contact:
Darla Richter
President:
G.Wayne Hawk
Vice President:
Michael F. Belcher
Treasurer:
Lillian Los
Secretary:
Dennis Perry
Past President:
Stanley J. Nowak
Executive Sectretary:
Frances A. Bainbridge
Director Emeritus:
Richard Forrestel
Ronald Grimm
Harry Hays
M. R. Jim Kaletta
Thomas Kopera
Hugh Neeson
Jack B. Prior
Darla Richter
Audrey Schillo
Director at Large:
Theodore E. Deck
Director:
Greg Barnhard
Renso L. Caporali
Larry M. Cobado
George L. Fillgrove
Walter Gordon
Bruce E. Hornung
Donald Klug
Russell LoPresti
Arlene LoPresti
Mary Mattocks
Paul Maze
Roy McCready
Raymond W. Meissner
Neil E. Nolf
John W. Paul
Historian:
Suzanne S. Dietz
Videographer:
Mark LoPresti

Links Section

	1941HAG.ORG
	IRA ROSS AEROSPACE MUSEUM
	LOCAL WEATHER
	AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION
	EXPERIMENTAL PILOT ASSOCIATION
	ROCHESTER FSDO OFFICE
	AOPA
	AOPA AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION
	FLIGHT PLANNING CHEAP GAS
	WOMEN IN AVIATION
	FLYING TRIP IDEAS
	LANDING.COM
	CESSNA AIRCRAFT
	CESSNA OWNERS GROUP
	PENN YAN AERO
	AVIATION WEB
	WRIGHT FLYER - NOVA PRESENTATION
	VIRTUAL AIR MUSEUM

FEBRUARY 2012 GENERAL MEETING

DATE: Thursday, February 16, 2012

PLACE: Protocol Restaurant
6766 Transit Rd.
Williamsville,NY

TIME:
6:00 PM Cocktails (Cash Bar)
7:00 PM Dinner - $21.00 per person

Consolidated Aircraft was formed on May 29, 1923 by Major Reuben H. Fleet. He took
over Gallaudet Aircraft's business and acquired the rights to Dayton-Wright Company
designs from General Motors, who left the aviation business. This is why his company
was called "Consolidated Aircraft". Consolidated was well know for its flying boats of
the 1920's and 30's, culminating in the PBY Catalina, and the PBY2Y Coronado. Probably the
most famous Consolidated aircraft was the B-24 Liberator.

This month's speaker will be Philip Craig Warner, son of the famous Consolidated test
pilot, Clinton Philip Warner. Philip's presentation will trace the evolution of the
Consolidated Aircraft Corporation from startup, through the Great Depression and World
War II

Philip was born in Buffalo, New York and graduated from the Culver Military Academy
and then received his BSEE from the Uniiversity of Buffalo. He was employed by
General Dynamics/ Astronics Corporation and was the civilian representative on a
launch ready Atlas ICBM base during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In addition to General
Dynamics, Philip worked as an engineer at Bell Aerosystems, and then joined Sylvania
GTE working on the Minutemen missile. Mr. Warner worked on many military
communication projects and after his retirement has worked as a contract engineer on
selected other projects.

We hope to see you at what should prove to be a most interesting evening about a
company that had its roots in Western New York. For any questions or changes
regarding your reservations, call Fran Bainbridge at 833-4978

G. Wayne Hawk
President

Dinner reservation forms must be received by Monday, February 13.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Protocol Restaurant

Dr. Richard P. Hallion,Senior Advisor for Air and Space Issues, Directorate for Security, Counterintelligence and Special Programs Oversight, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
Through the Sound Barrier: How Buffalo Reshaped the Air Age.

The Aero Club of Buffalo annual membership dues are only $30.00 and are due January 1st.
Two new membership types are available for Students (15-21 Yrs.)-$10.00, and Family (2 or more living at the same address)-$50.00 are available.

**Click here to download a Membership Application**

Your additional donations are tax deductible and help us brings speakers from all over the country. Thank you for your generosity.

The Amherst Bee

by KATE MOCKLER-Reporter

“We organized when the Wright Brothers were still experimenting with their walloping windowpane.” So said Aero Club of Buffalo founder John Satterfield, often known as the father of aviation in Buffalo.
The Aero Club, celebrating its centennial this week, has its roots in the Carrier Pigeon Club of Buffalo.
In the 1880s, some of its members became interested in examining just exactly how carrier pigeons managed to fly. Members from the Buffalo Bicycle Club who were working to develop a blimp powered by pedaling also became involved.
Before they were incorporated, the club sponsored a dirigible flight over Buffalo in 1906.
Aero Club President Stan Nowak, an Amherst resident, said that during the flight, the city virtually shut down as everyone rushed to their windows and went outside to watch.
The club received its charter in 1910 from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale in France. It is the first and oldest Aero Club in America and the second oldest in the world.
During its 100-year history, the Aero Club has heard talks by Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh and Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier. Yeager did so in a plane built in Western New York by Bell Aircraft.
On Thursday, Oct. 14, the Aero Club will celebrate with a dinner and presentation on the history of the Aero Club and on Western New York’s rich aviation heritage.
The dinner will be held at 7 p.m., with a social hour starting at 6 p.m. at the Westwood Country Club, 772 N. Forest Road, Amherst.
“This area was the mecca for aviation,” said Nowak. “There’s so much history. I’m just one of the people that follows it up.” Nowak says that hischildhood bedroom was filled with model airplanes and other memorabilia related to aviation. Nowak fulfilled and exceeded his childhood ambition to become a commercial pilot. He has multiple certifications and is a flight instructor. “I remember my dad coming home with the Buffalo paper when Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier. I was only 6 or 7, but I remember his enthusiasm,” Nowak recalled.
Nowak says that he is inspired by hearing the personal histories of many of the club’s older members, many of whom worked for regional aircraft pioneers such as Curtiss-Wright and Bell Aircraft.
“I had pilots telling me they used to fly planes out of the parking lot at Bell to the Buffalo Airport to test-fly,” he said.
Nowak and several other club members are coordinating an oral history project to capture these memories.
Although the club was originally male-only, Nowak says that has changed over the years. They have had several female past presidents, and Nowak intends to include the history of women in aviation in his upcoming presentation on aviation in Western New York.
“Many of the planes built here were flown to Europe by women. You’ve heard of ‘Rosie the Riveter’; well, we also had ‘Rosie the Pilot,’” he said. “Women risked their lives, and some did get killed.”
Nowak estimates that the Aero Club has more than 200 members. Their membership includes pilots, air traffic controllers, aerospace technicians, engineers, FAA weather observers, aviation museum personnel and people who fly as a hobby.
The organization meets monthly and always features a speaker. It also offers two scholarships a year to people who are going into any aspect of aviation.
“Our goal is to develop the young people of Western New York into the great thrills of aviation,” said club treasurer Ron Grimm. ““We try to do a lot of our monthly meetings to attract the young. We send out notices to a lot of flight schools. That’s how we’re going to grow.” “We have a tradition, we have a great history, we’ve had great speakers,” said Nowak.
To learn more, visit www.aeroclubofbuffalo.com.