Gary Vacin “The sky was full of flak and I could hear it banging against the aircraft.” That’s how Sun Lakes resident Sid Singer described his first mission as a 21-year-old top turret B-24 gunner on a mission over BlackHammer, Germany in 1944. Singer spoke to a crowd of 96 persons attending a Sun Lakes…
Tag Archive for Aero Club
Clubs & Classes, January 2017
Aero Club heads to Ryan Field, ends up at Marana Airport
Gary Vacin Five aircraft carrying 11 Sun Lakes Aero Club (SLAC) members headed for Ryan Field west of Tucson for breakfast December 9, but ended up at Marana when they learned the restaurant at Ryan Field was closed. Pilots and their passengers: Tom Howard in his Cessna 180 with passengers Doc Bricco and Vince Sciberras;…
Clubs & Classes, December 2016
Admiral to speak at Aero Club
Gary Vacin A retired U. S. Navy Rear Admiral who commanded the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier will be guest speaker at the Sun Lakes Aero Club (SLAC) gathering Monday, December 19 at the Sun Lakes Country Club Mirror Room. The session begins with coffee and camaraderie at 6:30 p.m., followed by the presentation at…
Clubs & Classes, November 2016
B-24 top turret gunner to speak at Aero Club meeting
Gary Vacin A Sun Lakes resident who served as a top turret gunner on a B-24 bomber during World War II will be featured speaker at the Sun Lakes Aero Club gathering on Monday, November 21 at the Sun Lakes Country Club Mirror Room. The session begins at 6:30 p.m. with coffee and camaraderie, followed…
Clubs & Classes, May 2016
Aero Club hears about drones
Doug Andriuk, President of the Phoenix Area Drone Users Group, was the featured speaker at the Sun Lakes Aero Club gathering March 21. Here he is shown with a giant drone he built from a kit (photo by J.R. Scheidereiter) Gary Vacin The president of the Phoenix Area Drone Users Group addressed a Sun Lakes…
Clubs & Classes, May 2016
Aero Club flies to Payson for breakfast
Gary Vacin One of the most popular events for Sun Lakes Aero Club (SLAC) members are fly-ins to restaurants throughout Arizona for a breakfasts or lunch. On March 24, the destination was Payson, where 11 members and guests showed up for breakfast at the Crossroads Restaurant. Flying in from Chandler Municipal Airport were Ken Carpenter…
Clubs & Classes, April 2016
Vietnam rescue helicopter pilot to address Aero Club
Gary Vacin A retired USAF lieutenant colonel who was one of the pilots onboard a mission gunship on the Son Tay prison camp raid in Vietnam some 45 years ago will be guest speaker at the Sun Lakes Aero Club (SLAC) gathering Monday, April 18 at the Sun Lakes Country Club Mirror Room. The session…
Clubs & Classes, April 2016
Aero Club hears from Navy fighter pilot
Gary Vacin “Scary.” That’s how a retired Navy fighter pilot described landing on an aircraft carrier at night during a presentation at a Sun Lakes Aero Club (SLAC) gathering February 15. A crowd of 95 turned out to hear Rear Admiral Denny Wisely describe his 34-year US Navy career, which included flying 350 missions over…
Clubs & Classes, March 2016
Sun Lakers invited to attend trip to gunnery range
Gary Vacin Sun Lakes residents will have an opportunity to visit the Goldwater Gunnery Range on April 7 where they will see A-10 and F-16 U.S fighter attack jets in training exercise bombing and strafing ground targets at close range. The range is a military restricted area and can be accessed only by permission from…
Clubs & Classes, March 2016
Aero Club members visit Titan Missile Museum
Gary Vacin Eight Sun Lakes Aero Club (SLAC) members and guests completed a successful field trip to view the Titan Missile Museum south of Tucson January 28. The visitors descended into the underground launch control center where a crew of two once stood capable of launching the Titan II missile from the underground silo in…