One cannot help but notice all the obvious signs of the arrival of the fall season. I find myself arriving at the airfield a little later than usual in the mornings and trying to win the race with sunset in the quest to get more airtime. Even so, I know the inevitable will come to pass… winter, with its cooler temps and shorter days. Not to worry too much though as I am sure there will be more tales to be told at the hangar, that’s for sure!

I spent the last few weekends flying south to the old Vulcan airbase with no reason in particular. I think I just like the lure of those old hangars and the history down there. The one thing I have noticed over those few flights is how the wind can change fairly rapidly and how that can influence my plans. On one particular flight, I decided against landing and turned back to head home. It was a real joy bucking headwinds and burning fuel… NOT! I think the point I am making is that one should try and make use of ALL available resources if possible (additional WX info in this case) and make sure you remain flexible and keep in a position to make safe and prudent decisions as need be. This was not that serious a situation other than a reminder for me as a pilot to plan for error on the conservative side.

I am pleased to announce our guest speaker for October’s meeting will be the Honorable Colonel H.C. “Skip” Armstrong (retired). The Colonel’s career spanned 35 years in the Air Force flying fighter, trainer, and transport aircraft. His command appointments included the Instrument Check Pilot School; 429 Transport Squadron; the NATO E3-A Operational Wing in Geilenkirchen, Germany; as Base Commander of CFB Winnipeg and as Commander of the Canadian Forces Training System in Trenton.

Following retirement, Honorary Colonel Armstrong was employed by General Dynamics Canada in Calgary as Director of Business Development and Director of Homeland Security. I look forward to seeing you all at the meeting and in the meantime… stay safe, have fun… and take a friend along.