PRESIDENT’S LETTER – – Apr, 2020
EAA92 Members and Friends,
As we enter into our second month of “distancing” and other safety measures against COVID-19, we hope you are all doing well and staying safe during the current Coronavirus epidemic. Our current and upcoming chapter meetings and events continue to be impacted for the indefinite future.
As mentioned in our recent email, Planes of Fame Air Museum has canceled the annual Chino Airshow, scheduled for May 1-3, and has closed the museum and all museum events until at least the end of April. That means we will not be hosting our Brat Booth at the airshow this year, and will miss out on the major financial contribution that activity brings to our chapter treasury.
Yanks Air Museum has also closed their museum and canceled upcoming events until further notice.
Our Young Eagle events are also on hold until the crisis passes. We still have an October Young Eagle rally on the calendar, subject to change if needed.
The one thing we can all still do is fly – provided we do it solo or with a family member we are already in close contact with. There is nothing better to clear your head and remove the effects of cabin fever than some time in the air. Traffic is extremely light, and airport restaurants are likely closed (Flo’s at Chino is closed, but is open for call-ahead take-out during limited hours), so this might be a good time to go out to the practice area and sharpen up those turns and stalls and slow flight, and maybe even practice that “impossible turn”. If you have a qualified safety pilot in the family, you could get in a lot of instrument approach practice, without a lot of competing traffic to slow you down.
Or, with all your spare time, you could attend some of the many on-line webinars presented by EAA, AOPA, and others; take this opportunity to study for a new rating or flight experience – instrument, commercial, tailwheel endorsement, glider rating, etc.; drool over a new ride on Trade-A-Plane, Controller, or Barnstormers; or just re-read some of those classic aviation novels.
Stay safe, thank you for all your support and we look forward to seeing you at future events.
My ink bottle is again running low, so I will close until next time. – – – – Jim Randall, President, EAA92
WWII P-47 Fighter Pilot, 1st Lt. Edward J. Lopez visits Yanks Air Museum
1st Lt. Edward J. Lopez, WWII P-47 Fighter Pilot, with his son Gabe, were honored guests at Yanks Air Museum on Jan. 18, 2020.
Flying with the 365th Fighter Group, 387th Fighter Squadron called the Hell Hawks, Lt. Lopez flew the P-47 Thunderbolt in over 100 combat missions, earning two Presidential Citations, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Belgian Croix de Guerre, and ten Air Medals.
The pictures scrolling by at the top of the newsletter are from his museum visit. In 2018, Lt. Lopez published his autobiography, Flight of a Hell Hawk.
1969 Grumman/American Yankee for Sale
The Western Museum of Flight at Torrance Airport has a 1969 Grumman/American Yankee for sale at an economical price. See the picture above and the link below for the full details:
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