Traron Squadron

We are finally into March and hopefully the weather will be starting to moderate soon. We have had a very cold winter here in Florida, and I can hear all of you northerners groaning about what a pansy your fearless leader has become. Well, you are right, and I am really looking forward to 70s again. Just for the record, I have spent my time in the barrel when I spent 12 years practicing in northern Wyoming. I know what cold is.

Many of you are getting ready to start your flying season and may be looking forward to some formation practice. The Inland Empire Wing has decided to reschedule the clinic that they had to postpone in January due to bad weather. They plan to hold the clinic over the weekend of April 9^th thru 11^th, 2010. The plan will be to arrive on Friday the 9^th with a ground school in the evening followed by flying on Saturday and Sunday. The folks at the Inland Empire Wing are great hosts and always put on a great show.
Riverside Airport (RAL) is a really nice airport with good practice areas near by. If you are anywhere in the area, you should make an effort to join your friends for some good formation practice and instruction. If you have questions, you can contact Mike Lindgren at lllindgren@hotmail.com, or Ed Cleveland at bangercaf@sbcglobal.net. Mike’s full information is

Mike Lindgren

172 Deborah Ct.

Riverside, CA, 92507

951-781-9825 home

951-684-6134 work

951-684-1478 fax

I truly hope that the weather cooperates with them this time. In January, they were having the rainstorm of the century during the week the event was planned.

As of now, no other CAF sponsored clinics are planned. If something comes up, I will get the word out as early as possible. There is a NATA clinic planned at Kissimmee, FL for the early part of April for those of you that are on the east coast. This is the usual pre-Sun ‘n Fun clinic that is held every year. It is planned for April 8^th-12^th. For more info on this one, contact NATA at northamericantrainer.org.

We are just in the early stages of our flying season and we have already lost two aircraft and 3 wonderful people in the last week. Let me be one of the first this year, to ask that you all fly with care and vigilance so that we don’t have to hear any more horror stories like this for the rest of the year. Safety is paramount in all the flying that we do and it starts with your attitude. Keep safety in your thoughts and preparations at all times. If you want to play, play high and don’t attempt maneuvers that you have not done before. If you want to learn acro or unusual attitudes, take a competent instructor up with you to get you started properly. The aircraft we fly are truly wonderful, but they are not without their quirks so go about your flying the right way.

That’s the end of my sermon for today so go forth, have fun, but fly safe.

Keep em Flying

Rick