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It is with a heavy heart that I begin this message by reflecting on the passing of Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame member Chuck Tippett on Monday August 3.  I met Chuck for the first time several years ago at the Flying Circus Airshow in Bealton, Virginia and saw his wing walker performance.  In the course of discussions after the show, I learned that he was seriously into restoration of vintage aircraft and preserving the history of the golden age of aviation particularly the barnstormer era.  His passion for preserving aviation history resonated to my core. My sense of the man was that he had boundless energy, a very positive and engaging personality, and was genuinely a really good person.  We got reacquainted in January of this year after I was elected VAHS Chairman and he graciously offered the use of his grass strip airfield “Horsefeathers” as the venue for our 2026 annual membership meeting/fund raiser.  In the process of planning our event, I learned that Chuck had hosted, planned and organized many charitable fund raisers at Horsefeathers for the Wounded Warrior Project, Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles.  Clearly, he was a very caring guy with a big heart in addition to being a legendary aviator.    Blue skies, fair winds and happy landings forever!

July activities and accomplishments:

July 1 – A special meeting of the VAHS Board of Directors was convened and approved the nomination of Bruce Holmes (Williamsburg, NASA Langley Senior Executive), Lucille Kent (Lynchburg, WWII pilot ground school instructor), Robert Bowen (Virginia Beach, Executive Director, Norfolk Airport Authority) and Gregory Principato (Staunton, President, Federation Aeronautique International, World Air Sport Federation) for 2026 induction into the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame.  Congratulations to all the inductees!  Many thanks to Hall of Fame Nomination Committee Chairman Tim McSwain and committee members Bob Cowgill, Ron Gatewood, Bob Taylor, Paul Sullivan, Chuck Wilson and Tom Woodburn for screening, evaluating and scoring the 16 nomination packages received.  The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday November 7 at the Ford’s Colony Country Club in Williamsburg, Virginia.  Please plan to attend to honor the inductees and support the VAHS!  Contact VAHS Administrator Sue Baker vahsonline@gmail.com or (540) 376-3265 for details.

July 8 – I met with Luke Curtas, President of Shannon Airport LLC to discuss opportunities for collaboration between the Shannon Air Museum and VAHS.  We agreed in principle to partner on aviation history programs, presentations and events.  Luke offered the use of museum space for VAHS meetings and displays of hall of fame portraits and archives materials.  We also discussed the possibility of working together on a scholarship program.  I also got a preview of his new “Genesis of Flight” display in the newly remodeled original museum building.  The display features several exact reproductions of Wright Brothers aircraft.  It is going to be awesome!

July 11 – VAHS worked a table with representative hall of fame portraits and archives displays at the Commemorative Air Force, Capital Wing “Wheels and Warbirds” event at Culpeper Airport.  Although we did not get any new members signed up, we did have numerous visitors, and several people took membership forms.

July 18 –  I participated in a very interesting, guided tour of the Dahlgren Naval Surface Warfare Test Facility arranged by Northern Neck/Middle Peninsula Chapter Leader Jody Nelson.  After the tour, our group had an opportunity to view the exhibits in the Dahlgren Heritage Museum.  I talked with the museum director about displaying the hall of fame portrait of Gladys Mae West in the museum.  Ms. West worked at the Dahlgren facility for forty years.  The museum director had actually worked with her for several years during his career at Dahlgren.  He was receptive to my proposal to display her portrait in the museum.  More to follow on this initiative.

July 22 – I travelled to the Lynchburg, Virginia Regional Airport and had preliminary discussions with the airport manager and Lynchburg Museum director regarding displaying hall of fame portraits of 12 Lynchburg area members in the airport.  More to follow on this initiative.

July 31 – Sue Baker and I nearly finished cataloguing 600+ VAHS archives file folders (hall of fame, personages, aircraft, airlines, airports and organizations).  We finished cataloguing the last of the folders on August 6.  Using the catalogue, it is now possible to locate a specific archives folder in a matter of seconds.  There are still many binders, albums, books, artworks and other items that must be catalogued.  But we have completed one big step forward in the archives cataloguing process!

You will soon receive a solicitation in the mail to participate in the VAHS 2026 fund raising drive.  I know I beat the fundraising drum every month, but the hard fact is that the VAHS exists only because of the generosity of our members and donors.  Although our expenses are modest, we have been teetering on the edge of insolvency for years.  As it stands now, new initiatives such as digitizing VAHS archives and collecting/preserving additional historic artifacts are not possible.  Our goal for 2026 is $50,000.  Many thanks in advance for your support!  In addition to financial support, another way to support VAHS is to recruit new members.

The VAHS desperately needs to fill several Board of Directors positions this year and next with volunteers who have the time, energy and dedication to ensure the VAHS continues on track to success in the future.  Please contact me directly at richardgenaille@gmail.comor cell: 571-215-3668 if you are interested in volunteering or would like more information about serving on the Board of Directors.

Best regards,

Richard (Dick) Genaille

Chairman of the Board

Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society