Greetings Airmen Members!
It seems that Spring is upon us, and that’s the time of year when things really heat up around the Association’s office. The Gathering is upon us in a few weeks, and we are in the final stages of the Aircraft Raffle Fundraiser, but there is still time to get tickets for that beautiful Carbon Cub FX-3! You can call us at 907-245-1251 or stop by Aircraft Spruce in Wasilla, Northern Lights Avionics in Anchorage, or East Ramp Pizza in Fairbanks to get yours. Ticket sales are going well, and we are grateful to be a part of a community that cares so deeply about preserving this industry!
Speaking of the Gathering, by the time this issue reaches you the event will be less than a month away. We are returning to the State Fairgrounds this year, and we couldn’t be happier with the way things are growing. We’re adding fly-in camping at the airport, so you can spend the weekend meeting other pilots. If you register for the Show & Shine, you can land your airplane at the fairgrounds. Mechanics and aircraft owners can show up on Friday for free all-day maintenance seminar and exclusive sales access. Aircraft Spruce is sponsoring a new pavilion with space for more than forty new vendors. If you enjoyed the beer garden at the airport last year, you’ll love the new beer garden at the fairgrounds! Our buses between the airport will be replaced with trollies from Anchorage Trolly Tours with additional runs so you can move between venues effortlessly. Please come check it out and experience all the new offerings!
This issue is jam packed with the goings on for the Association so I will keep my letter brief, but I wanted to take another opportunity to share my thanks and applaud the efforts of the community and staff for a truly incredible scholarship season. The volunteer Scholarship Committee is currently combing through applications, and it is a big job this year. We received a record breaking 188 applications, nearly doubling last year’s applicant pool! With member and community support, we also smashed previous fundraising records to hit $102,250!!! Thank you all for your contributions and helping to spread the word. We hope you will join us at 2pm on Saturday May 7th at the Great Alaska Aviation Gathering for the Scholarship Award Ceremony and help us celebrate the winners; we’re anticipating well over 40 recipients this year. We will open another application season in 2023, but we accept donations year-round. As a 501(c)3, scholarship donations qualify as tax free “required minimum distributions” from retirement accounts so please keep us in mind when making your giving decisions. We are thrilled that your support has fueled so many pilots, mechanics, and aviation professionals on their journey.
You will find some great updates in this issue from the NextGen Aviation Club on their very productive March with involvement in several projects to expose young people to potential careers in aviation. We also have some particularly special Member Milestones to share and a fascinating article from Sean Ellis about his experience at a historical crash site, among other great member contributions. So please enjoy and we look forward to seeing you all in the upcoming prime flying season!
Abby Austin
Executive Director