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 HOLLEY MOUNTAIN USPA CHAPTER
ORGANIZES
November 2002
Nearly
30 local pilots and aviation enthusiasts gathered Saturday, November 2, to
charter the “first ever” Chapter of the United States Pilots Association
(USPA). The organizational meeting, held in the private hangar of Jim &
JoAnn Collom at Holley Mountain Airpark near Clinton, Arkansas, brought
Paul Hough, immediate past president of USPA, to the podium.
AT RIGHT:
Mostly new and a few old (but all tremendously young at heart) members and
friends of the newly formed Holley Mountain USPA Chapter AR01, take a
break from all the hard work of eating and organizing to pose for
this group photo in front of a Holley Mountain Airpark VFD fire truck.
L-R standing: Jim Collom, JoAnn Collom, Michael Hunter, Mike Ramirez, Tim
Tyler, Bill Houghton, Greg Smith, John Hallman, Donna Hallman, Noel Wynn,
Fred Quandt, Tim Posey, Keith Wingad, Mary Wingad, J. F. Williams,
Dwayne Tucker, Dennis Clarity. L-R seated: Jan Hoynacki, Paul
Hough, Vick Setser, Sharon Smith, Jerry Conner, Christine Weiss, Cheryl
Williams, Clarence Phillips.
Hough described the
Missouri-based USPA as “a national flying organization that belongs to its
members.” As such, he said, “it offers pilots and flying enthusiasts the
opportunity to help set the course for the future by working together as a
strong and effective force for leadership, safety, and education in
aviation.”
Jan Hoynacki, USPA
executive director, said the national organization has been in existence
since 1981 and has roughly 5000 individual members in 27 states plus Italy. In
addition, the national group has affiliate relationships with a variety of
state-wide aviation organizations in Missouri, Illinois, Texas, New
Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa.
According to Hoynacki,
however, the idea to establish individual “local” chapters is a new one
for USPA and the founding of the Holley Mountain AR01 Chapter of USPA “is
an historic first” since it is “the first official chapter of USPA to have
ever been organized anywhere.”
"It was indeed a
WONDERFUL meeting!" Hoynacki said. "Such great folks. I just can't express
how much we enjoyed meeting some new friends and being treated to freshly
grilled hamburgers and hot-dogs, plus an endless table of potluck goodies,
including fried chicken, homemade potato salad, and copious desserts. I do
look forward to working with all of you, getting the Holley Mountain
Chapter off and running."
O n the business agenda,
the organizational
meeting included the election by
acclamation of temporary officers, being: Jim Collom, President, Timothy
Posey, Vice President, Christine Weiss, Secretary, and Joe Marshall,
Treasurer. Also, Mike Ramirez, President of the Ozarks Chapter of the
Missouri Pilots Association, announced that his group is hosting
Col. Charles McGee, President of the Tuskegee Airmen and holder of the
record for the highest three-war total of fighter combat missions in US
Air Force history, as a guest speaker at their 6:30pm, Thursday, November
7, 2002, meeting at the College of the Ozarks "Friendship House" in Point
Lookout, Missouri.
The Holley Mountain USPA
meeting concluded with a general discussion about projects the Chapter may
want to take on in the future.
For more information about Holley Mountain USPA Chapter AR01 quarterly meeting dates
and other activities, contact Timothy Posey, M-F, 8a/5p, 501-745-5300,
arkair@artelco.com, or visit
www.gozarks.com/ar01 on the Internet.
And please visit
USPA online! |
