WARNERTALES CLUB NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 7 | 20 JANUARY 2016

TRY AND FLY DAY 

More than 60 first time pilots took to the skies with the Central Coast Aero Club at our Try and Fly Day on Saturday 16 January.
The aim of the event was to promote aviation to the community and spread the word about how easy it is to learn to fly at Warnervale with our club.Michael and first time student

Three aircraft operated all day, our two Cessna 150s, UGW and JYQ, as well as as club member Kevin Lamb’s aircraft, DIQ, which Kevin generously donated to the CCAC to use for the day free of charge.

Most people taking advantage of the $50 for a 20 minute TIF offer were Central Coast locals, but people came from Sydney and the Hunter for their first taste of aviation with the club.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many interested in continuing to learn to fly, spurred on by a discount offer provided to all participants for the first two lessons.

It’s important to acknowledge the efforts of our instructors, Andrew Smith, Michael Lawrence and Daniel Buzalski, for putting in a massive day. It was a big ask to cycle through so many TIFs and keep smiling so our new pilots each had a great experience, but they rose to the challenge. Thanks also for Andy Coulthard who kept the day-to-day business running so our students still had some appointments available.

CCAC fleet being refueledThe day would not have been possible without the many members who volunteered their time and stellar efforts to make the day a success. There are too many to mention here, but so many members rolled up their sleeves and took on a variety of important roles. Whether they were talking up the club to participants, providing safety briefings, taking photos, escorting participants to aircraft, refueling aircraft, running the BBQ or any of the many other crucial roles, every volunteer represented the CCAC proudly and showed club spirit in spades.

NBN News visited the day and ran a story during that night’s bulletin and we are hoping the Central Coast Express Advocate will have an article about it during the week.

We’ll consider the best time for another Try and Fly Day later down the track, but the important thing is our mission to promote the CCAC to the community was accomplished.

CLUBHOUSE BLOOMS

CCAC CLUBHOUSE BLOOMSWhile we are promoting aviation on the Central Coast, it’s important that we look our best, so we all owe our thanks to club member Wolf Du Plessis for donating a number of plants and flowers to the CCAC and delivering them last week. These finishing touches make a big difference to how we present to visitors and potential new students, so Wolf’s contribution is gratefully received.

LICK OF PAINT FOR THE THEORY ROOM

CCAC Board Members Jeremy Kerwin and George Paterson are setting an example for us all and giving the theory room some fresh paint.
Giving up multiple weekend days, including a full Sunday, after they’d both volunteered all day at the Try and Fly Day on Saturday, Jeremy and everyone’s favourite flying Scotsman have faced the significant task of prepping the walls and rolling on fresh paint.Jeremy Kerwin and George Paterson Painting CCAC

Thanks very much for your efforts guys, you’re inspiring us all to find ways we can help around the club.

If you’re interested in donating some time or resources, then contact club member Jeff Terry, who is coordinating a list of jobs that need to be done around the club, and putting in a lot of time himself. Jeff also has put together a wish list of equipment, repairs and supplies we need, so if you think you can help out in that way, perhaps through your business, then ask Jeff for a look at what’s needed.

It’s great to see how much members are getting behind developing the CCAC. It’ll be a crucial part of the growth and development of our club over the next few years.

MEMBER’S MECHANIC MATE MAKES MOWER MARVELLOUS

The club owns a lot of grass and that grass needs a lot of mowing, particularly given the massive amount of rain that has been interfering with our flying lately.  We own a ride on mower and a zero turn (fancy mower) but neither have been loved with servicing for many years. The result has been a couple of bits of pretty sad equipment. Eric from Field Services
As part of the maintenance program being coordinated by Jeff Terry, a call was made for someone who could help with servicing; replacing the blades, the oil and the other things that break on this type of stuff. We were fortunate that club member Tony Moffatt could call on the services of his mate, Eric from Field Services, who spent a solid afternoon at the club free of charge doing the work for us.

If club members have a need for a mechanic for your tractor, ride-on, or other bits of mechanical kit, give Eric a call.  He works in the area and can come to you.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

2016 has brought with it a renewed sense of purpose for the CCAC. You’ll notice that three of the stories in this edition of Warnertales are about people contributing to improving the club. The facilities are looking better than ever, and I can honestly say that it is due to so many people that I can’t realistically name them here – an astounding fact. Thankyou to Jeff Terry for organising the troops.
Andrew Smith CCACWe now find ourselves becoming a well-known part of the Central Coast community, and our recent Try and Fly day was a very visible, and massively successful iteration of this public face of the club. The day was more successful than any of us could have forecast. Michael, Daniel and I flew with 62 people on the day – that has to be some kind of record. The work on the day carried out by Scott, Jodi, George, John, Jeremy and numerous others was incredible. Special mention to marketing dynamo Peter Uther, I’m told he was a whirlwind of information and vibrant energy.

We have been making steady progress with our fleet, and Dave Tennant , with his son Ben and some casual help on occasion – has been servicing, upgrading and renewing our fleet whilst taking care of as many private owners as he can – a fantastic effort.

I have been told that some former associates of the club believed we would fade away after the merger between CCAC and WVA. It is patently obvious that we have done the opposite, and thrived. This has only happened through the hard work of the WVA staff – Michael, Andy and Jodi – as well as the aforementioned hangar staff and the CCAC board, who have come together in a professional manner to direct the future of the club.

The members though, have been the biggest strength we have. They continue to surprise me, and there is no limit to what we can achieve throughout this year. I look forward to the report I will write this time next year. The future I think, is looking bright.

Take care up there,
Andrew Smith
President