AJ Stricker's New Year's Day Letter:
- Kingdom Pilots Association
Elton Hensley Memorial Airport Fulton, Missouri (FTT)
Greetings Kingdom Pilots Members and Welcome Non-Members. As your El Presidente' El Grando, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Great New (2007) Year, and I hope it was a Merry Christmas. I am in Bangor, Maine right now, visiting with my granddaughter and daughter, so thought it would be a good time to write this little letter. 2006 for me was not too bad. The Association was able to help out the airport by helping to purchase and replace the 15 year old weather monitor, purchase a radio/ATIS monitor for receiving information from the Columbia (COU) Regional Airport, and picking up an Atomic Clock for the most accurate time in the World for the Administration Building.
Our Elections resulted in me being reelected into the highest office, and Steve Crowe being the second best, Vice-El Presidente'. We all appreciated the past VP, Ron Belyea for all his work and dedication that he put into our little group. Lucy St. John was reelected as secretary, as was our treasurer, Susan Haines. As a footnote, I beat out Alfred Newman, Mad Magazine, by two votes. I am looking forward to the coming year, hopefully the next KPA Meeting; remember, the THIRD SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH, at 9:00am, to agree on a date for our Annual Pancake/Breakfast day. This year I hope to have the fiddle player and his group back for live music, have static displays of aircraft, maybe some helicopters, hopefully some radio control aircraft, and make a whole day of it, with the invitation for those who wish, to camp over at out neat airport, to fly out the next day after a breakfast. I hope everyone will help me to come up with ideas and things to do that will make it a great happening, you know, kinda like Oshkosh, or Sun and Fun!
OH, MY GOSH, OSHKOSH!!!!!!!! This past year was my first time at Oshkosh. If you love aviation, and have the privilege of being able to experience the magic of flying, I highly recommend a pilgrimage to Oshkosh. It’s just a day’s travel from Fulton by land, and depending on the aircraft if you are flying, maybe a few hours, in the case of the Coupe, maybe several hours, may as well drive. This year I plan to attend! and set up camp again, and to take the KPA Banner and our canopy and let’em know we are there. I hope those who can, will join us. For the countdown to the second when Oshkosh starts in July 2007, contact Alan Hollandsworth, a KPA member in good standing.
Last, but not least my vision for the future. We desperately need an addition to the current administration building at FTT. I see it in the form of a 50x40 foot heated hanger built and located between the admin. Bldg. and hanger 13. The only heated hanger on the field that currently exists is the Maintenance hanger that is Airtec Aviation, run by Bob Mobsley. This addition would give us meeting space, overnight hanger space for in transit aircraft, with the ability to de-ice any aircraft if the need should be, a warm place for temporarily inspecting aircraft or working on airport equipment. The! first step would be to ask the City of Fulton to donate the ground to the Kingdom Pilots Association, and give us permission to build this addition. The cost: Where would the money come from? Anybody believe in the tooth fairy? I don’t know, but with our group's collective ideas, maybe it would be possible.
Gotta go, its time for me to take my pill, put my teeth in, find my glasses, and find out what this day in Maine will bring, looks like snow, I hope to see everyone who can, on the THIRD SATURDAY IN JANUARY 2007 at 9:00am, at the next KINGOM PILOTS ASSOSITION MEETING AT THE ELTON HENSLEY MEMORIAL AIRPORT AT FULTON.
AJ Stricker,
January 1, 2007