Greetings Airmen Members,
I hope you are all doing well and having a great start to spring! It has been a busy March for the Airmen team, with a trip to Yakima to work on the 2022 Raffle Airplane. It has been exciting to learn about the process as well as the great opportunity for our “All Star – Alaska Team” to be there in person to build the plane through the Cub Crafters Factory Assist program. Although I have not been there in person, I know I am very excited to see the final version of our FX3 Carbon Cub when it makes the long-awaited journey to Alaska in April. The Cub Crafters team has been wonderful to partner with on the process and I know you all will be impressed with the final product!
As we look forward to the Gathering in May, we are working to build on last year’s show for an even better, overall experience. From the staff to the board, we have spent considerable time listening to our members feedback around the 2021 experience and working to implement some great ideas that we feel will enhance the Gathering. If you have the desire to volunteer, then please let us know. Abby and staff are recruiting volunteers as we speak and would appreciate the help. We look forward to seeing everyone in person, and we all believe it will be a great show in Palmer, making it two years in a row!
If you haven’t been to the Airmen’s building in a while, then I would encourage you to stop by. We have added a Memorial for those that donated towards the construction of the Airmen’s building. We have some additional honorary items in the works for this summer so stay tuned. It is always great seeing our members. Bring a friend along and we will get them signed up to be a new Airmen’s member.
On the Scholarship front, we’ve had a great response from many highly qualified applicants. It is rewarding to know we are seeing talented and great people apply for scholarships that will help them achieve their goals of becoming pilots, mechanics, air traffic controllers, etc. If you know of someone that is interested in applying, then please pass the word along. On a separate note, if you are interested in donating towards a scholarship, please let us know as we would love the opportunity to have you become a part of such a great program.
I will close for now, but I look forward to seeing everyone at the Great Alaska Aviation Gathering in May. Thank you for your membership and dedication to the Alaska Airmen’s Association.
Fly safe,
Stephen Ratcliff President
Alaska Airmen’s Association
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