Summer is finally upon us and the usual flurry of club activities has begun.

The various airshow committees are underway and looking for members to contribute their time and expertise in order that we can maintain a long tradition of producing one of the world’s foremost airshows. Planning is well underway for the AFC campground which is a major fundraiser for the club.

Bob Bryan and his crew are finalizing their menu for this year’s Broken Prop and have issued a call for members to come out and lend a hand. In the last few years we haven’t offered a dinner menu to our campers and it has been requested by AAIS that we reconsider doing so. Your directors- Josh and Skylar, have proposed that the AFC have a beer garden outside the clubhouse as a fundraiser and perhaps we could incorporate a food service as well. In order to do this, we require volunteers to come forward immediately and show your support for the club. Fly-in camping and the general aviation display will also require support from the members as these venues would not exist were it not for the support and guidance of the AFC volunteers. These activities and venues provide the revenue we require to maintain the AFC clubhouse and our flying activities. I strongly urge our members old and new to get involved, have some fun and support the club.

On a more serious note there has been some grumbling about behaviour at our general meetings. I’ve given this a lot of serious consideration and had discussions with other directors and members of the club. It’s now time for my ramble….and here it is. It has been observed that a deterioration in behaviour and respect for protocol and tradition has been a problem for some years now. In my experience this has been a recurring problem since I became a member back in 1985. Some members I’ve spoken to abhor this behaviour while others contend that these sort of highly energised “discussions” are healthy. I’m not sure that personal insults and threats could ever be considered healthy. In fact, the very subject of this discussion could be considered inflammatory and counter productive.

However, I have taken steps and I hope that you, the members, have noticed a marked improvement in behaviour at our meetings and I fervently hope that this trend will continue into the future. I would love to take credit for these improvements, but I can’t, as I don’t believe one person has the ability to alter the behaviour of a large group of type A personalities (LOL). I believe it is a concerted effort by a lot of individuals within our ranks to put the needs of the club before their own personal agenda. I applaud these members and their commitment to the future of the club.

There is also the inevitable change brought about by the evolution of society, that some feel that the old should stand aside and make way for the new and that what “we did” in the past is best forgotten. However, we need to remember our roots and the contributions made and the thousands of hours of personal time donated by our members and their families and give them the respect they justly deserve, even if you don’t agree with their politics. I would also ask that we show our younger members the respect and consideration they, in turn, deserve. I would hope that the new members will see their way to embrace the concept of becoming valued contributors. Your constructive feedback is welcome.

There, that’s my ramble, lets work together for the benefit of all.

Ken Campbell