Monthly Recap.  The Georgia Flyers did not have any planned trips in September, but we had a great Lunch-Bunch turnout on September 23^rd in Spartanburg, SC (KSPA).  

Even though it was not a scheduled Georgia Flyers event, I wanted to recap a flight by four members on the EAA B-17 Aluminum Overcast. Our members were Dan Barta, Sandy Thomas, Ron Deering, and new member John Taylor. The flight was scheduled on Saturday, September 30^th.  However, as our intrepid members were on the tarmac, next to fly on the famous bomber, we watched as it taxied in from her last flight with the number 3 engine feathered. It turned out that one engine cylinder casting had cracked in the area of a valve rocker. So the flight was rescheduled for Sunday, October 1^st. Repairs were made by the B-17 mobile maintenance crew (who also brief passengers, sell jackets, and anything else needing done). We finally got our flight at 4:30 pm Sunday. As you might expect, it really is an experience and all in our group had a great time. I highly recommend going on a flight the next time Aluminum Overcast is in town. Proceeds go toward keeping this venerable lady flying so others can experience just a little of what it must have been like to fly over the skies of Germany in WWII. The website is http://www.b17.org./ if you would like information.

Trip News.  Late breaking news!! Due to the small number of people and aircraft participating, the Great Southeastern Air Tour for this year is cancelled.  If there is sufficient interest next year, the Air Tour committee can either decide to use the same Tennessee airport planning or redesign the tour.  We all owe our thanks to Sam DiGiammarino and his committee for their hard work in planning the tour.

The November trip to Dillsboro, North Carolina, to ride the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad on November 4, 2006 is filling up fast.  We have a block of rooms reserved with group rates from $139 to $159 depending on type, and 30 seats are reserved on the Tuckasegee River excursion train. The excursion train departs Dillsboro Saturday afternoon at 1 PM, travels to Bryson City, and returns to Dillsboro getting back at 4:30 PM. The fare is $45 for adults and $21.60 for children.  We will have dinner at the Jarrett House, a local landmark, spend Saturday night at the hotel, and return home on Sunday.  The nearest airport with an FBO is in Franklin, NC (Macon County, 1A5). The airport is in a mountain valley about 13 miles southwest of Dillsboro (ground transportation will be provided). Macon County is a VFR only field, so if the weather isn't good, Asheville (KAVL) is the nearest IFR field, or it is a 2-3 hour drive from Atlanta.

We still have some hotel rooms available, but the hotel must release any unreserved rooms after October 4^th.  If you’re interested in joining in on the fun adventure, then please reply quickly to trip captain John Horton (jdhorton@bellsouth.net).

Lunch-Bunch News.  The next Lunch Bunch will be Saturday, October 21^st at Callaway Gardens (KPIM).  This event was moved up from November. We’ll gather between 10:30 and 11:00 am to catch the shuttle to the Gardens Restaurant for lunch.  AutumnFest is currently going on at Callaway Gardens with lots of fun activities for the whole family so bring the kids too.  Shuttles run regularly so if you would like to stay and play, transportation is available.  Go towww.callawaygardens.com and click on AutumnFest to find out all the fun activities that are going on. As usual, headcount is a must so email lunchbunch@georgiaflyers.org  to get your name on the list. 

Meeting News.   Our next get together and meeting will be at our on Sunday, October 22^nd Meeting at the EAA hangar - Gwinnett County Airport (LZU).  This is an important meeting and I encourage all members to attend as we will hold elections for the 2007 flying year. We will also have a professional presentation by Sandy Thomas on this year’s Louisville, Kentucky, trip as well as recapping other trips and events this year. As always, socializing with friends will be a top priority.  The meeting will start at 2 pm and we will have fruit, cheese and crackers, dessert, coffee and ice tea served during the meeting. The cost will be $5.00 per person. Reservations can be made online at reservations@georgiaflyers.org.

Note:  Do not park in front of the hangars. Park around the side of the EAA hangar. If flying in, park your aircraft on the either on the ramp near the EAA hangar or further east past the first row of hangars. This will leave the area at the side of the hangar for cars.

Elections.  We all need to be thinking of who we want to carry our Georgia Flyers organization into the future. Elections are scheduled for the October 22nd meeting. All of the current committee chairpersons, except the programs committee chair, have agreed to continue their service through 2007 pending your votes. The current chairpersons are: Ron Deering, President; Paul Gundermann, Secretary/Treasurer; Sherri Platt, Trips and Events; Keeley Miller, Membership; John Horton and Paul Platt, Website Maintenance. 

I need someone to step up to assume the programs committee chairperson position. This position entails coordinating any programs we desire. There is a lot of help available from the membership. We want to get everyone involved. If there are others who would like to run for any of the chairperson positions, please let Jim Turner know as soon as possible.  Jim Turner sent out a letter to everyone on the membership list concerning the election. I have attached the contents here to remind you to get nominations to Jim as soon as you can. You can also submit your absentee ballot to Jim Turner at jturner5@bellsouth.net.

Sam was born and raised in Northwestern Pennsylvania, in Franklin.  Sam graduated from Gannon University, Erie, PA, in 1967 with B.S. in Economics and an R.O.T. C. commission as Second Lieutenant in the Army Transportation Corps.  He served 6+ years on active duty with tours in Virginia, Germany, Viet Nam, and California, separating as a Captain.  Following Army service, Sam completed requirements for an M.B.A. in Transportation and World Business in 1975 from San Francisco State University. He relocated to Atlanta in 1979.  Sam now teaches flying and college as an Adjunct Instructor with Kaplan University, in addition to helping Brenda with their insurance agency.

Sam has three sons.  His eldest, Enrico III, has a PhD in Microbiology and has just accepted a position with Abbott Labs in Chicago.  Sam’s middle son, Tuan, is AmerAsian (half Vietnamese), lives in Wichita, KS, and works for Raytheon on their assembly line for Hawker jets.  His youngest son is in the electrical trades and lives nearby in Carrollton.  Sam has seven grandchildren, five boys and two girls.

Sam and Brenda have been married for over 13 years.  Sam says the Brenda’s daughter Carol feels like one of his own, and she often joins us on club trips and events.

Sam took his first airplane ride when he was 12, and wanted to fly after that.  Many things got in the way, including parental objections, high cost, and it was dangerous.  College then got in the way, and family commitments kept flying in the background.  Before Sam knew it, half his life had passed and still no flying.  A few weeks after his 50^th birthday, about 2 years after Sam and Brenda were married, they were working in the back yard, when a small plane flew over.  Sam looked up longingly and said, “I’ve wanted to do that all my life.”   Without missing a stroke of her raking the yard, Brenda said, “Do you want to wait until you are 60, or 70, to start?”  That was like hitting Sam between the eyes with a 2x4.   The following Saturday, she said, “I thought we might take a ride to a few airports, if you’d like to check out some flying schools.”  He jumped at the chance and ended up at Epps Flight School at PDK, where he started his lessons.  Brenda encouraged Sam all the way.  If it wasn’t for Brenda, Sam says he would not be flying today. 

Sam now has well over 2,000 flying hours with more than half of that coming from flight instruction.  He enjoys seeing students realize after a landing that he did not touch the controls.  They did it all themselves. 

Sam has been very active in the Georgia Flyers organization. Over the 11+ years Sam and Brenda have been members, Sam has held every position except Treasurer.  

Stay tuned next month, when Sandy and Terry Thomas will be the subjects of our next “Meet a Member” article.

 Ron Deering