November 21, 2007

 

Warm greetings to all CHAA Members:

 

1. Our Flying Season has been a truly successful one with 300 hours being logged on CHAA aircraft --- a first for CHAA. A sincere thank you to our ground crew, service maintenance and pilots for all their efforts on CHAA’s behalf.

 

2. The work on Hangar 2 is progressing well. The floor has been poured on the north side of the hangar, doors will be ready for installation in the near future and work will commence on the washroom renovations. These facility updates are funded through the Trillium Grant received earlier this year. Thank you to those involved in this project.

 

3. Our mailout fundraiser was sent near the end of October and has brought in $6681.00 to date. If you are one of the 95 members who sent a donation, thank you so much; your money has already been put toward the cost of the restoration of 3191 and the purchase of a parachute. If it is your plan to support these ongoing CHAA projects, we encourage you do this in the near future so your donation will be included in your 2007 tax receipt.

 

4. 1500 copies of our 2008 CHAA calendars were printed. As a thank you to each member, approximately 550 of these were mailed with the fundraising letter, and the rest are being sold. If you live locally, the cost is $10; if they are being ordered, the cost is $12 (extra $2 covers shipping and handling). If you would like to order further calendars, contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

5. To support and encourage the sale of items from CHAA Stores, the Fundraising Committee is hosting a draw. All people buying CHAA Stores items from November 9 to December 15 will have their name submitted for a draw of CHAA merchandise. Great time to complete your Christmas shopping or to stock up on items for yourself! Winner will be drawn at the end of the December 15 CHAA meeting. Good luck to all.

 

6. LEST WE FORGET. Guest speaker at the November 17 Members Meeting was Jim Boland who shared some of his father’s experiences during WWII. His father Edward Boland (who passed away in 2006) was a Lancaster gunner and received the Distinguished Flying Medal in 1944. Well received by an appreciative audience. LEST WE FORGET.

 

7. An article on CHAA (written by PR Chair, Philippe Morin) can be found in the current edition of Px Magazine.

 

8. Staff members, from the British Aviation Magazine Flypast, visited CHAA during the 2006 formation weekend, gathering information and snapping several shots. Watch for the January 2008 edition of Flypast (December 2007 edition in Great Britain) as it will feature the CHAA article and photos.

 

9. Unless you are a Life Member, your CHAA Membership is due. If you haven’t already renewed, please do so ASAP. The Renewal Form was included with the September ROAR and is available online at http://harvards.com/content/view/59/59/

 

10. On November 11, against a clear blue sky over Southwestern Ontario, eight Harvards flew in honor of our veterans. Kent Beckham, Pete Spence, Bill Shepard and Bjarni Tryggvason piloted the four plane formation over Woodstock area, and the four planes over Toronto were piloted by Greg Burnard, Tony Donnelly, Dan Cameron and Hannu Halminen (all backseats were filled). Thank you to all pilots and our ground crew for making these flypasts possible. Eric Dumigan was in Hannu’s backseat and sends these shots for all to enjoy: http://www.airic.ca/html/rem2007.html

 

Until next time, clear skies, safe flights and smooth landings!

Sandra Sparkes, CHAA Member