By Mark Stern
'00 Fly-in Organizer

In the last newsletter, you received a preview of the upcoming fly-in at San Martin, California, in June. The planning is well under way, and things are definitely shaping up for a terrific fly-in. Now is the time for you to send in the registration form on the opposite page and order your tickets. There are three ticketed events:

1. NASA Ames Research Center Tour
2. IDPA Banquet
3. Community Picnic

NASA Ames Research Center Tour:

A special tour has been arranged with NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field in Mountain View, on Tuesday, June 27 at 1:30 p.m. Moffett Field is located about 35 miles north of the South County Airport. The research efforts of this facility include airspace operation systems (air traffic control, human factors), wind tunnel testing, rotorcraft technology, supercomputing, and astrobiology. The two-mile walking tour will start at the Ames Visitor Center, and stop at various points of interest, such as a one-third-scale model of the Space Shuttle, a U-2 spy plane, a 80-foot by 120-foot wind tunnel (the largest of its kind in the world), a human centrifuge, and a vertical motion simulator. This tour is free, but is limited by NASA to only 35 people, on a first-come, first-serve basis. All non-U.S. citizens will be required to show their passports at time of check-in. As Moffett Field is a Federal airfield that does not allow civilian aircraft traffic, you will need to plan to arrive at NASA Ames Research Center by ground transportation. Confirmations and driving directions will be sent to those who are lucky enough to get tickets.

The IDPA Banquet will be held on Friday night, June 30, at Guglielmo Winery in Morgan Hill, just five miles north of South County Airport. As one of Northern California's wine pioneers, the Guglielmo family has been producing award-winning wines at this Santa Clara Valley location since 1925. The winery is situated on 80 acres of estate vineyards, with views of majestic oak-covered hills. A buffet dinner will be served outdoors in the early evening, with seating at round tables in a spacious courtyard framed by colorful beds of seasonal flowers. Wine and beer will be served from an elegant vine-covered, granite-topped bar. Dress: Informal cocktail attire (no jeans, no T-shirts, no shorts, no sneakers). The buffet dinner will be catered by The Golden Oak, which is recognized as the finest restaurant in the South County area. The entrees featured on the menu will be Garlic Chicken (marinated in garlic, olive oil, thyme and rosemary, and served with a sun-dried tomato sauce), and Pasta Primavera. For a special dessert, we have been fortunate to arrange a rich and heavenly chocolate cake made by a local deaf pastry chef who trained at the Culinary Institute of America. If you are interested in an interpreted tour of the winery's production facilities before the banquet, please indicate so on the registration form.The tour will be arranged only if there is sufficient interest. Banquet tickets are $30 per person for members, and $35 per person for non-members. This includes hors d'oeuvres, Caesar salad, choice of entree and vegetables, rolls, dessert, choice of Guglielmo wines, beer, soft drinks, coffee, gratuity, and, of course, magnificent vineyard views.

At midday Saturday, July 1, we will have a Community Picnic at the Wings of History Museum, located across the street from South County Airport. Members of the deaf community in the the San Francisco Bay Area and their friends will be invited to join us and learn about IDPA, so a large crowd is expected. Volunteers at the Wings of History Museum will cook hamburgers and baked beans for us, and give us guided tours through the museum's unusual collection of antique aircraft. Their exhibits include an exact replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer, a flyable 1928 American Eagle, a 1934 Waco 10, a flyable 1934 Pietenpol Air Camper, and a 1934 deHavilland D.H.88 Comet replica. You'll also get a chance to see the Ole Fahlin Memorial Propeller Shop, a FAA-certified wood propeller repair shop specializes in custom-built, experimental and antique wooden propellers such as would be encountered in the early years of aviation. Tickets for the picnic are $12 per person, which includes lunch and museum admission.

Even if you are not ordering tickets, please send in the registration form, so that we have as much information as possible to help finalize the plans for the fly-in. For example, if we know in advance how many people are interested in skydiving or soaring on Friday, June 30, special group arrangements can then be made for these activities. Be sure to order your tickets by May 15.

Click here for the registration form (in Adobe Acrobat PDF format).