Gary Vacin “This is one of the most desolate places on earth.” That’s how Sun Lakes resident Karl Kern described Nikumaroro, the island Amelia Earhart possibly landed on during a presentation to a record crowd at a Sun Lakes Aero Club gathering January 16. Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific on…
Gary Vacin Twenty-four Sun Lakes Aero Club members and guests attended a field trip to the Arizona State University Aviation Program at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport on January 27. The group visited specialized classrooms and saw first-hand the flight simulators and aircraft used in pilot training. The aviation program has three parts: air traffic control,…
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…
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;…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…