A Letter From the President (March 2019)
They tell us Spring is coming, but it sure feels like Winter is still here. Nevertheless, the VAHS has kicked off the new year with a spring in our step, some fresh faces in the leadership of the organization, and renewed sense of purpose.
Working with the Shannon Museum, the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame display has been updated with our 2018 inductees. Plans are in the works for a capital campaign to improve the facilities for both the Museum and the Hall of Fame. We also have restructured our membership categories, including the new Sustaining Member category. We have been encouraged by and grateful for the response from you all, as we now have more than 30 Sustaining Members (whose names you can find elsewhere in this newsletter).
Several Board members, including Chairman David Young, Vice President Ray Gill, Board Member and past-Chairman Tim McSwain, and I all attended the Aviation Legislative Reception on February 6th in Richmond. This annual event, sponsored by the Virginia Aviation Business Association, was held for the first time in the Main Street Train Station a few blocks from the Capitol. Virginia aviation businesses and organizations all displayed their wares to the Virginia legislators in attendance, and it was a great way to showcase the work VAHS does throughout the state.
Looking forward, we are presently accepting applications for the 2019 Hall of Fame class. The Hall of Fame Banquet will again be at the Hospitality House in Fredericksburg, October 19, 2019. Mark your calendars now, and check the website for more information as it becomes available.
One of our focuses for this year is to get better coordination among our four chapters, Northern Neck, Williamsburg, Warrenton and Fredericksburg. We also are exploring opportunities to open new chapters, and are looking at Roanoke and Richmond as two localities that would make a lot of sense for new VAHS chapters. If you would be interested in learning about these new chapter opportunities, or even better might be able to lend some time and/or expertise to help VAHS expand it chapter base, please reach out to us at the Pilot House at Shannon Airport. We would love to hear from you.
And look for us at your local airshows and fly-ins this year. If you see our booth, please do not hesitate to come by, say hi, and let us know you are a member.
We hope to see you out and about this year, once the weather starts to cooperate, of course!
W. Hunter Old
President, Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society