Airmen Association Members,
Greetings and I hope that you are well and settling in nicely to the start of fall. The cooler weather is upon us. While I’m thankful for a wonderful summer, I’m happy to be moving into the next season. Enthusiastic for what is ahead of us!
At the Airmen’s Association, we are deep into the planning season. We have a lot of excitement around several fronts, including our NextGen, Scholarships, Advocacy, Outreach, and our 2022 Gathering. October will be our annual board retreat, which we are all looking forward to as well. This gives us the opportunity to reflect on what went well in 2021, what we can improve on, and how we can help support one of the best aviation organizations in the country.
One area of focus will center around membership. If you’re reading this newsletter then you are likely an Airmen’s Association member. I want to thank you for your membership and encourage you to help bring new members to the Alaska Airmen’s Association. We often are asked “Why should I become a member”? To effectively answer that question, the Airmen’s Association is only as good as the members that make it up and their involvement in the organization. Along with remaining a strong and unified voice on the advocacy front for general aviation in Alaska, we continue to work on important issues behind the scenes. This includes donating almost $60K towards annual aviation related scholarships to help grow our own timber. Without future pilots, mechanics, air traffic controllers, and other aviation-based careers, our love for aviation as we know it will cease to continue. NextGen is another way of bringing along the next wave of future aviators and airmen. We remain encouraged with the involvement through NextGen and believe there are exciting times in the near future through their commitment.
To hit a few statistics, the Airmen’s Association has over 100,000 followers on social media outlets. While we are thrilled that the message is being heard, our actual current membership makes up a very small fraction of those that follow us on social media. Again, I encourage you to help get the word out about the Alaska Airmen’s Association. Let’s all help increase membership so that our organization can continue to grow for the benefit of our members.
For those that haven’t heard, we are partnering with Cub Crafters for the 2022 Great Alaska Aviation Gathering raffle plane to build the FX3 Cub. In addition to a phenomenal performing bush airplane, we have a unique opportunity for building involvement from a team of Airmen’s members, several who will comprise of scholarship winners, students, and aviation related, Alaska based teachers. This opportunity is special, given that we can showcase our local Alaska talent through the Cub Crafters factory assist process to build the FX3 cub as a team. I don’t want to give too much away so stay on the lookout for more exciting updates to the process.
Lastly, I want to commend Abby Austin and her staff for the wonderful job they are doing with the Airmen. I also want to acknowledge Will Day for the initiative and work he is doing on the Airmen’s Fly-Outs. Please try to participate if you are looking for a fun reason to get out and fly. Stay tuned for the next great Alaska destination.
Thank you again for your membership and support for the Alaska Airmen’s Association. I hope you enjoy the newsletter, learning more about what is happening with the Airmen, and finding ways to stay involved. Happy flying and stay safe!
Fly safe,
Stephen Ratcliff
President
Alaska Airmen’s Association
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