New Year, New Chances

By Doug Parsons

     In past years I have started this article off with the cold and snow that we have been experiencing

in Ohio. I have now learned that our Ohio winters are just not that bad when put in perspective.

I have had the pleasure of flying to the Arctic Circle every other week for the last several months

and will do so through February. They really know what winter is up there. It has been snowing,

blowing, blizzards (regularly), slick runways, cold temps (-25 to -40C with wind chills to -70C) and,

of course Polar Bears! What more could a person want. So if you’re in Northeastern Ohio this winter

and you see a guy out walking around in shorts, a tank top and flip-flops you’ll know it is me since

Ohio feels like a heat wave when I get home from the Arctic.

    In with the New Year means that it’s time to start thinking about our upcoming Reunion. This gives

all of us new chances at many things. Maybe it will be meeting new fellow members, getting that

new restoration to the Reunion for the first time, or maybe giving someone their first airplane ride.

Last year’s reunion was another spectacular event and now it is time to start planning for this

year’s reunion. I hope that everyone is making plans to join us at the 53^rd Annual Reunion which will

be held June 21-24, 2012. Remember that this event is for you the member, your families and

friends, and of course, the airplanes. We hope that you will plan on joining us for all of the fun at

the National Waco Club Reunion in Mt. Vernon, Ohio this June.

     If you think that you will make it to the reunion, consider reserving a room now as you can

always cancel. Rooms always fill up fast!

I have been able to get a group rate discount for a block of rooms at 3 of the hotels.  The rates

are as follows: 

            Comfort Inn - $100.99 + tax  (20 rooms)

            Holiday Inn Express - $98.00 + tax   (25 rooms)

           Super 8 – $75.00 + tax   (20 rooms)

     When making your reservation, be sure to ask what the cutoff date is for cancelling your room.

Each hotel has a specific date that you must cancel by or your credit card will be charged for the

room if they are unable to sell it to someone else. Also, if you don't give them a credit card to hold

your room, your room will automatically be given up on that date.

    As you can see on the events page, we have a lot of things planned again this year. The Troy/New Carlisle fly-out was such a big hit we are going to repeat it again this year. Those that got to go really enjoyed visiting the museum and were treated to a wonderful lunch at New Carlisle. We are also repeating the Breakfast fly-out to Mt. Victory, Ohio. As a side note, if the Troy fly-out is moved to Friday, due to weather, the Breakfast fly-out can still go because it is basically on the way to Troy from Mt. Vernon, for those adventurous types.

    With so many people arriving on Thursday annually, we are moving our famous Corn Boil Picnic to this night. So plan to come early to enjoy this wonderful evening.  We will be having a Hangar Dinner/Dance again on Friday night. The dinner will be a chicken/steak dinner.  The band will be the same one we had last year, playing Big Band/Glen Miller era music. Just like the previous dance, we want you to dress any way you wish. If you want to dress in period clothing, formal wear or just come in your shorts (like I ended up doing), just come and have a good time and enjoy the evening’s entertainment.  The Saturday Banquet will be held at the airport in the big hangar. We will still have our wonderful good food and fun as usual!

     I hope that all of this sounds exciting to everyone and we look forward to seeing you in June.

    Note: Tickets for the Friday Dinner/Dance and the Saturday Banquet are available now for purchase at a discount. If you wish to be guaranteed a place at these events please pre-purchase your tickets now. The purchase is non-refundable should you not go to the event purchased as the club has financial obligations to meet with regards to these events. If you do wish to pre-purchase your tickets now just go to the purchase tickets tab and fill in the blanks and use PayPal. Another way to purchase your tickets would be to fill out the paper order form in the Newsletter and enclose a check made out to the National Waco Club for the amount due and mail it to the address listed on the form. Tickets can be picked up at the registration counter during the reunion. A limited number of tickets will be available for sale at the Reunion for an additional $5.00 each.

    Even if you do not want to purchase tickets at this time, but are planning to attend the reunion we ask that you take just a few moments of your time to pre-register. This greatly helps us to provide you with a better reunion experience if we have a rough idea of how many people and airplanes are planning to attend. Click on the register button on the left or use the paper copy in the newsletter and register early.

     If you have any questions please call me (Doug Parsons) at 330-284-1936 or email me for more information.

Knox County Airport is nearby with a paved runway for aircraft of non-NWC members flying in to

visit Wynkoop Airport. Knox County is just a couple miles to the southwest of Wynkoop and will

be offering complimentary ground transportation between the 2 airports. We advise that you call

them ahead of time to check on availability of transient hangars and parking.

We strongly encourage you to print out the informational pages from the website to take with you

on your flight toMt. Vernon.

If you want to become a member - click here!

See you at the 53nd Reunion!!