Straight and Level

In praise of volunteers

Chairman

It’s September, and all too soon it feels as though the summer is behind us and the evenings are already beginning to draw in. The summer events calendar has been full of airshows, fly-ins/outs and aviation-related gatherings, big and small, without which our flying opportunities and experiences would be greatly diminished.

While many events have professional support and resources to organise and run them, most, particularly at the grass roots, rely on the enthusiasm and effort of volunteers to plan, setup and run them on the day. As an Association we could not attempt to manage and resource a programme of events solely from the centre, and must rely upon the many members from across the network of Struts and type clubs and local airfields who willingly give of their time to organise and oversee such events. Over the course of the summer across the country it has been heartening to attend events and see the enthusiasm and effort that members put in ‘on the ground’ to make things happen.

Such activity is not just about the flying, but re-enforces the social aspects of what we do – the fun!

But volunteering among members goes much further. The last YES! AGM showcased the many initiatives around the country,

Updates from the Chairman and CEO

many involving LAA members at their heart, which endeavour to share our passion and skills with a younger generation, be it build-a-plane, pedal plane, air experience and charity flying days, or STEM-related opportunities to provide hands-on skills learning experience.

Together these deliver the opportunity to reach out and enthuse others, perhaps to rekindle an interest or to stimulate a future career or recreational interest. They are also a source of great pride and satisfaction for those who willingly provided their time, and without whom such activities could not happen. So to all those unsung members who have given time and energy in planning, organising and running the many events this summer a BIG thank you.

I hope that when attending events you spare a thought to those who have laboured to make it happen – and say thank you.

Perhaps if you have not already done so you might also think about how you could volunteer in the future for the benefit of the Association, your fellow members, and encourage others to join our aviation community. Next time someone calls for volunteers to stage an event, however big or small, please do consider how you might help. ■

People power

It’s always a challenge writing for this issue. The deadline comes right on the eve of our annual big event. This year, of course, Popham’s rural ambience will ensure our LAA Grass Roots Fly-In is a subtly different event to the LAA Rally. While the change was forced on us by the unavailability of Sywell this year, I believe it is a great opportunity to refresh what we are offering, yet still keeping to some of the traditional elements that make our events so popular. In next month’s magazine, we’ll find out whether we are right!

Of course, with a scorching summer in full flight (I bet it’s rained by the time you read this), I hope that your Ts and Ps have stayed sufficiently in limits to allow you to join in the flying fun. The LAA Vale of York Strut’s fly in at Rufforth was a great success and our final ‘Meet the Members’ event of the season is at Rougham in Suffolk on 17-18 September. Hope to see you there!

Of course, another success further afield was the visit by LAA members to EAA AirVenture in the USA. While not an official tour, it grew out of discussions in the LAA ‘Virtual Pub Nights’ when someone asked for tips on visiting Oshkosh. “Why don’t we hire a minibus from Chicago to Wisconsin?” someone asked.

The idea snowballed to such an extent that retired travel agent

George Pick hastily unretired himself and began coordinating an ever-bigger party, which eventually needed two coaches and occupied two floors of the University of Wisconsin campus. It was LAA ‘People Power’ at its best!

The numbers at Oshkosh are, as our American friends would say, ‘awesome’. The EAA quoted more than 650,000 visitors and Oshkosh’s Wittman Field and surrounding flying sites hosted more than 10,000 aircraft during the seven-day event. The total number of ‘showplanes’, as opposed to visitors and those with owners camped under wings, was 3,226, including 1,375 registered in vintage aircraft parking, plus 1,156 homebuilts and 369 warbirds.

You don’t need reminding that it is ‘the greatest show on Earth’, but it wasn’t the aircraft that really impressed – it was the people. None of us felt like ‘just visitors’. Everyone I met; staff, volunteers or guests, felt they were much more than that. They were all participants in the shared fun. That’s a great achievement.

There was poignancy too this year, as on the Monday of the convention it was announced that Tom Poberezny had died. The son of the Association’s founder Paul (and both of whom kept regular correspondence with and visits to PFA and LAA events), Tom spent 20 years as President and Chairman of the EAA and was very much the architect of the Fly-In’s success. One of Tom’s favourite quotes was: “Folk come to Oshkosh for the airplanes, but they come back for the people.” I’ll vouch for that, and we’ll prove it at Popham, too! ■

Inspiring members to take on their own aircraft build or restoration project

Compiled by Mike Slaughter