i'm writing a book - right here!

frankie_bondo · 30 December 2007, 10:18 AM

...as I was living near Wenatchee (just about the geographic center of the state) the majority of the ash plume drifted to the south and east of me...we got about an inch of ash...alot of people wore dust masks for a day or two but I saw no real reason....

AAC Cadet Leader · 30 December 2007, 12:06 PM

this space saved for editing room

AAC Cadet Leader · 30 December 2007, 06:18 PM

editing space for later

Laserlloyd · 30 December 2007, 06:48 PM

Hi Dyoll:

There is just room Enough for one Lloyd around here and I was here first.

Just Kidding Lloyd.... Welcome to the Aerodrome forum....

AAC Cadet Leader:

I couldn't let that Dr.I photo slip by with out saying that it must have been neat to be flying next to it, I hope one day I can have that point of view of just flying one would be great too...

Lloyd...(The First one, Ha,ha

)

AAC Cadet Leader · 30 December 2007, 07:21 PM

anyone named lloyd can't be all bad. i figured one or more of you DR.1 builders here might appreciate my photos of patrick henry's build. perhaps someday when the bunch of you fly formation at dayton, i'll be able to get some air to air shots of you.

Laserlloyd · 30 December 2007, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AAC Cadet Leader

anyone named lloyd can't be all bad. i figured one or more of you DR.1 builders here might appreciate my photos of patrick henry's build. perhaps someday when the bunch of you tri-plane builders here fly formation at dayton, i'll be able to get some air to air shots of you.

Now I can't wait for that, I had so much fun there this year even with out Fred's Dr.I. Maybe I can make out to NZ for their show.

Lloyd...

AAC Cadet Leader · 30 December 2007, 08:28 PM

FliegerJG1 · 31 December 2007, 06:08 AM

These photos of you swearing in new members to the AAC always make me smile.

I really love them! How many people eventually became members?

FliegerJG1

AAC Cadet Leader · 31 December 2007, 05:31 PM

hi k,
i'll have a better answer for you tomorrow on the number of aac members. been a busy day here with my son trying to redraw my routing map on the computer with an animation program to add to the material. now it's off to taking them to a new year's party. happy new year, everyone!!!

AAC Cadet Leader · 1 January 2008, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FliegerJG1

These photos of you swearing in new members to the AAC always make me smile.

I really love them! How many people eventually became members?

FliegerJG1

Hi FleigerJG1,
One Saturday, I was at an antique flea market in Zellwood, Florida while I was in the planning stages of my journey, and I bought a stack of brittle, old Air Trails magazines dated from 1936 - 1952. I found within their pages, the "Air Adventurers Club" and became intrigued and charmed by the variety of members with their questions, news items and photos they sent to the club's "Flight Commander" and "Wing Commander." Readers could get a free membership card and a tin AAC wing pin for ten cents. It was a grassroots club of correspondents, the magazine's young and old readers.

I thought it would be fun to restart the club with the same ideals, so I wrote to my friend, A. Lee Spencer in Iola, Kansas and asked him to be the new "AAC Flight Commander." He agreed. I appointed myself as the "AAC Cadet Leader." Then I had 5,000 Air Adventurers Club membership cards printed with the original pledge.

The Air Adventurers Club Pledge
"To the best of my ability,
I pledge to support the ideals and principles
of Air Adventurers and will do all in my power
to further the advance of aviation."

The only membership requirement is that the person must love old aeroplanes. I haven't met very many people who don't qualify, so it's pretty easy to find new members.

And three more selling points are:

No age limits
No membership dues
No meetings! - but we have parties every once in a while

I managed to swear in one to several people at a time throughout my journey, handing out about half of the cards I had printed. Add to that number, around 1000 more people took the pledge in the three years afterwards when I was presenting the slide show and swearing in entire audiences at once. I still occasionally swear people in when I meet them if we get on the subject of old aeroplanes, so add another 500 over the last dozen years.

From 1988 - 1994, A. Lee Spencer printed columns for our new Air Adventurers Club on the pages of his "Sportsman's Aviation Booster" quarterly newspaper, right up until he passed away. Lee had about 300 faithful subscribers across the USA to his wonderful aviation newspaper.

Also, I've encouraged members to do ceremonial Air Adventurers Club swear-ins with others, too, pointing out that they can read the oath right off their card. Over the years I've heard back from a number of the folks I met who told me that they swore in their airplane clubs, or their kids, or parents, or friends - even a few teachers who swore in their classes. And why not?! It's all in support of aviation and old fashioned fun.

So, to answer your original question, I would take a guess that around 5,000 people have taken the Air Adventurers Club pledge to become lifetime members - perhaps even more!

And to any of you readers out there who have yet to become Air Adventurers Club members, all you have to do is raise your right hand and read the above pledge out loud. Please, do it!