What’s in a name?

Well, after bringing up the subject of a possible name change to the club at the last meeting, I’ve seen a lot of chatter through emails and heard a lot of comments over the last month both for and against the subject. The matter has been approached before, but this time it seems to be really generating a lot of interest. One of the reasons I became a member of this club was that I was tired of always flying by myself. I was looking for a club that offered exactly what our club does: flying events throughout the summer, group flying trips, be they short 1-2 hours or actual flying holidays, access to knowledge that comes from years of flying and building experience, and, best of all, the camaraderie that comes from all the members, be it whoever you are. Before becoming educated on the world of ultralights, I had no interest in them whatsoever. When I was looking for a club, I went right by the Calgary Ultralight Flying Club, thinking that this was all they offered. Only after a call to Wayne Winters to actually try an ultralight flight did I have my eyes opened to this new world. Shortly after, I attended a meeting and was pleasantly surprised to find that this was NOT just an ultralight club. It was, in fact, just what I was looking for. We have a very diverse bunch of members involved in all categories of flying, including ultralights, homebuilts, experimental, classics, and conventional aircraft. I think that with a name change we will be able to attract new members to an already outstanding club, bringing with them new ideas and experiences. The name is the first impression a prospective member has of a club, so, with a more accurate name, someone searching for what we have to offer may be able to enjoy it much sooner!

Please note that elections are coming up in December of this year. The vice president and the secretary positions will be available. If you are interested in putting your name forward, please see Dave Procyshen as he will be our elections officer. The elections themselves will take place at the December meeting with the positions starting on January 1, 2009.

Kyle Petryshen and Kevin Hopkins will be doing a presentation on acrobatic flying at the next meeting, so plan on attending as it is sure to be an interesting evening.

I had a chance for a couple of nice flights in September, enjoying the good weather. The first was a flight down to Indus to take in the Evening at Indus. It was another successful event with good weather and a good turnout from the local community. Garrett cooked up another feast that was enjoyed by all. Thanks to all who made that a good time.

I also flew out to the Sherrness Mine with Stu Simpson, Guy Cristie, Bob Kirkby, Bernie Kespie, Calvin Thorne, and was joined by Gerry Macdonald in Linden for lunch on the way back. The mine is a very interesting site from the air and quite a nice destination if you’re looking for someplace to fly to.

See you soon.