Chapter members Nancy Moore, CFII and Ellen Herr have organized an aviation study group which meets monthly at Base Ops FBO. Pilots from the Sundowners, Fort Myers Flying Club, as well as the 99's are participating.

Moderated by Nancy, the group meets to brainstorm ideas and problem solving techniques, with an emphasis on IFR cross country flying.  Joe Trippy, a pilot and controller from Page Tower, has been providing an air traffic control perspective. Previously we have discussed flight planning techniques and useful apps and websites available, including Fltplan.com and Foreflight. 

Next month's meeting will be November 10 at 9 AM, with the discussion focusing on weather planning, and setting personal minimums.   All pilots including students, VFR and IFR rated, are welcome to join us.

       DONNA HENDRICKSON PASSES HER SINGLE AND MULTI ENGINE COMMERCIAL CHECKRIDES

 Donna has now passed both checkrides at Punta Gorda airport.  Donna won the simulator and flight instruction scholarship donated by Jim Hendricks, CFII of Naples Flight Simulator Center in April.  She is continuing her training working on her CFI rating.     CONGRATULATIONS, DONNA!!

MICHELLE ESTEVEZ SOLOS!!!

Michelle is training at Paragon Flight Training on Page Field where that

old tradition of cutting off a shirt tail is too old fashioned.  Instead, the

newly soloed aviatrix signs her name on the wall.  And looks whose signature is the largest!!

Way to go Michelle!!

Congratulations go out to our chapter secretary, Terry Carbonell, who earned her CFII rating on April 29.

Terry did her flight training at Paragon Flight on Page Field with instructor Jeffrey Wolf.

Excellent job!!

Member Nicole Williams has made her first solo!  She is flying a Cessna 172 from Shell Creek Airport at Punta Gorda.  Although challenged by gusty spring winds, Nicole is well on her way to her private rating.  Way to go, Nicole!!

The Paradise Coast chapter hosted the Fall Section meeting of the SouthEast Section of the Ninety-Nines, Inc. on October 14 and 15.

Fifty one participants from as far away as Tennessee flew and drove to Fort Myers for the fall social event, educational seminar, and business meeting.

We kicked off the event with a sunset cruise and dinner on the Caloosahatchee River on Friday evening.

The Saturday morning business meeting was led by Governor Judy Bowser.

FAAST Team representative Amy Laboda presented a safety seminar,"Using Technology in the Cockpit".

She is shown here presenting the Wright Brothers"Master Pilot" Award to Paradise Coast Chapter member Jessica Stearns. This award is presented by the FAA for 50 consecutive years of safe flight operations.

Our meeting closed with a Pajama Party theme for poolside cocktails and tropical luau buffet.

Thanks to everyone who worked on making this meeting successful! The Spring 2012 meeting will be held in Pinehurst, NC.

The Paradise Coast Scholarship Committee has announced the winner of the 2011 WINGS OVER PARADISE scholarship. 25 year old student pilot Summer Corbitt of LaBelle, FL was selected from several female applicants from southwest Florida. Summer has passed her private pilot written exam and will use her scholarship money to continue her flight training for the private pilot rating. The WINGS OVER PARADISE scholarship is awarded annually to cover up to $2000 in flight training expenses. Additional information about obtaining money for flight training can be found in the SCHOLARSHIPS section of this website.

The WINGS OVER PARADISE scholarship fund was begun in 2010, funded by public donations and proceeds of chapter projects including (among others)the Sunshine Derby, Page Field Aviation Day,American Air Campers research project and the starting events of the 2010 Air Race Classic. Our chapter members are have worked hard to establish this scholarship, and wish Summer the best of luck in reaching her goal of becoming a private pilot!

** NEWSFLASH ** September 14th  is a date that will live in infamy for Summer Corbitt as this is the day she PASSED HER CHECKRIDE!!!!!!

SUNSHINE DERBY 2011

The third annual Sunshine Derby was held on February 26th, 2011 at LaBelle Airport. This year, the Derby was held in conjunction with the annual Hendry County Swamp Cabbage Festival so there was lots of food, parties and the annual parade in addition to the customary Sunshine Derby activities. Even with all of the other stuff going on, we were most interested in flying.

The Sunshine Derby is our chapter's annual proficiency event, testing the pilot's ability to predict elapsed time and fuel burn after flying a rectangular-shaped course revealed to the participants the night before the event.  Pilots need to know their aircraft's exact fuel burn, and the effects of tailwinds and maneuvering required to see landmarks that must be overflown during the event, so the time enroute is as close to the time predicted before departure.  But first you have to get to the start airport!

Mother Nature decided to throw us another curve this year, nearly forcing us to re-name the Derby to the “Fog Derby”.  A mist wafted over the airport at 0600 when Vern and Terry went to the hangar to open the door. It was looking promising. But as the temperature dropped that last degree, that wafting mist turned to a dense fog where we could not see across the runway to the FBO; in fact, at one point we could not even see the runway from the hangar. Phone calls had to be made to delay the arrival.

Soon we herd an airplane circling overhead. We could see a low wing, possibly the Mooney, coming in from the NE the circling. We heard Matt Wallis and Laura Ying Gao on the radio. We could see them and they could see straight through to the runway but the VV was 0! It was just 0800. Soon the planes would start landing … as soon as you could see the runway. By 0930 the fog had dissipated and everyone dropped in, heading to the fuel farm for their top off. All eyes were measuring carefully to be sure they got the last drop in to the top of the tanks to make the fuel calculations come out right.

Shortly after 1100 all of the airplanes were in the air, the slowest of the planes leaving first so all would come back about the same time. The day was heating up and we did not want the slow planes coming in late, getting beat up by the thermals and, more importantly, missing the BBQ lunch.

The first stop was Clewiston, a short 20 minute flight. All of the planes made it over in rapid succession and within 30 minutes, they had all spotted the chevron and were on their way to Dade-Collier (TNT). This year we added a little extra: the contestants had some “scavenger hunting” to do along the way, collecting the answers to question on things that they would over fly: runway orientations, colors of awnings, the number of greenhouses in a row and the like. There was even a trick question thrown in for good measure!

As the planes were doing their thing, others started arriving for good food and cheap gas. Hendry County dropped the gas price by $0.30/gallon for the weekend events – a real bargain in any economy! Double Barrel Foods came out with their cooker and provided the really yummy BBQ chicken, cole slaw and beans; the 99s each prepared their favorite dish making for a huge pot luck lunch fit for kings. The crowd grew to around 50 for the lunch, all waiting for the arrival of the Sunshine Derby contestants. Finally, just before 1300, the radio crackles with the arrival of Sunshine 5.
The timers were in their place at the displaced threshold marker to runway 14 waiting for the teams to cross the timing line. The SE wind that had been blowing all day now shifted favoring runway 32 for a landing requiring the contestants the fly an upwind leg to mark their time, making for some interesting maneuvering from their NW arrival. One by one, they all crossed and taxied into position at the fuel farm. There were more groans than cheers at the fuel farm. No one was dead on the money but Sunshine 4 was only .3 gallons off – that just might be a winning number.

While the contestants ate, the judge and scoring team tabulated the results. Sunshine 1, Vince and Donna Minnillo, (who came in 2nd place in 2010, missing first by a mere second or two) came in 5th place. Vince was sooo hoping to take home the gold this year! In fourth place was 99/Grasshopper team Tamra Sheffman and Sonia Bortolin. Way to go girls!! Third place was Susan Carastro and Robin Holtsinger – oddly enough, they have moved up one spot every year – in another 2 years they are destined to win! Second place with an outstanding time – less than 2 seconds off – was John Hawkins and Dick Gates – consistently in the top finishers. But the grand prize winner with .3/gallons differential was grasshopper/99 team, Sunshine 4, Matt Wallis and Laura Ying Gao.

Member, Nancy Moore, is just full of aviation news: first her CFII now her new toy. We are all jealously awaiting a ride in Nancy's new-to-her 1988 Bonanza. We know it will be a while as the insurance companies love to have us burn up solo hours before subjecting our passengers to our aviation prowess but Nancy is well on her way and has already soloed! Congratulations (again), Nancy. We are loooking forward to meeting up with you in the skies .... ahhh, not too closely, though!

January Chapter meeting includes Flour Bombing Extravaganza!!

Our January meeting included something for everyone, beginning with flour bombing a target painted in a festive pink color on the grass runway at LaBelle Airport. Each pilot/bombardier team was allowed only one bombing attempt, with a fee of $10 per bag collected for the pot. For safety reasons, low passes were to be made in cruise configuration. Winner of the drop closest to the target receives half the pot, with the other half going to our scholarship fund.  Five aircraft flown by 99’s participated included a J3 Cub, Grumman Tiger (our only low wing entrant), Cessna 182, Cessna 172, and a light sport CTLS. After some initial confusion about the location of the drop zone, and many calls on the Unicom, each of the ladies over flew the target at 200 AGL and dropped her 2 pound bag of flour, attempting to hit the 10 foot diameter circle.  After each drop our judging team of Tad, Vern and Joe scurried out to the drop zone to mark the location of each bag. The ever present easterly cross wind appeared to have affected accuracy a tad. After changing crews some participants made a second run, so a total of 7 bombs were dropped.

Before the contest results are revealed, a little background. Since I was a little rusty on flying 200’AGL, I decided to do a little practicing.  Accompanied by D, we made some practice bomb drops at a sparsely inhabited area east of Venice.  We found a couple of choice locations and made a drop, only to discover that bags of flour we dropped could not be located.  An area that looked dry from the air turned out to be swampy, so the flour bags disappeared.  But then all of FL south of Orlando used to be one big swamp like the Everglades is now.  So we considered this flying a little geology/geography lesson, too.
Next D next found an airport that would let us set up a target adjacent to the runway, making the whole issue of lining up with the target easier, and finding the flour bombs a whole lot easier.  After being rejected by Page Field, Venice and Arcadia, Sebring welcomed a little more aviation activity at their field.  Joined by our newest chapter member, Peg Brady, D and I took turns bombing an abandoned runway.  Afterwards we refueled at lunch, and reflected on our new found skills.  We were joined by Jessica who was in the area doing flight instruction.  In exchange for use of the field, Project Coordinator Vicky Stewart is asking for volunteers to help at the US Sport Aviation Expo January 20-23, 2011.  If you can work a 4 hour shift escorting vehicles across a runway during the show, please give Vicky a call at 863-655-6444, extension 129.

After the bombing we sat down to a great pot luck lunch.  We were joined by Tamra Sheffman and Sonia Bortolin of the Goldcoast chapter.  Thanks to everyone who donated all the delicious food for the lunch!  A brief business meeting was followed by Terry’s presentation about aviation applications for the IPad .We need all members to promote our scholarship, so please encourage lady pilots to apply.  Carolyn gave her “Sweet Dreams” plaque from the 2010 ARC Banquet to race winner Terry.  And finally the bomb drop winners…Pilot D pilot and Bombardier Peg Brady, whose drop was 10 feet from the target center!

Please join us at Labelle Airport for the Sunshine Derby February 26 (see website for more info) or at the Page Aviation Center for our next business meeting on March 23 at 6 PM.

Honolulu Grill Meeting: The Paradise Coast chapter had its monthly meeting at the Venice Airport on Saturday, November 20. The scholarship committee met at the Suncoast Air Center to finalize the scholarship documents to present to the members. 

At 11:30 AM we joined the Grasshoppers at the Honoluana Grill Restaurant for lunch.  The Grasshoppers are a diverse group of female and a few male pilots who fly to different locations in central and south Florida monthly just to have lunch and socialize. We had a great time with about  25 99s and Grasshoppers in attendance. 

After lunch we hada brief business meeting back at the Suncoast Air Center where we were introduced to some new members. We made plans for the annual Holiday party at Nancy Moores' house and for the next Chapter meeting where there will be a flour bombing contest upon arrival to the airport. A $10 donation will be required by all who drop a bomb. The winner will share in the "arrival fee" with the Chapter.

We were happy to have perfectly clear skies for the meeting and flyout and we look forward to more fun flyout meetings for the 2010-2011 meeting season!

What's Happening with the 99s?

Our Paradise Coast Chapter held its first meeting September 22 at the Page Field Aviation Center conference room.  If you didn’t make it to the meeting, here’s what you missed:

Delicious sandwiches and yummy chocolate cake were provided by Carolyn Skaggs and Anne Miller.  Eight members and two guests attended.   Linda Sue Righi and her daughter joined us from Port Charlotte.  Maggie is a 15 year old student pilot training at Charlotte Co. Airport.  We hope they both join and Linda also decides to learn to fly!

We caught up on a few flying adventures, and had a brief business meeting.  Our dedicated Treasurer, Cheryl Lynn Dratler, has resigned.  Judy Bowser has been appointed to complete the remainder of her term.  The chapter thanks Cheryl Lynn for guiding us through a challenging year.  The profits from the Air Race Classic event have been added to our scholarship account.  Our scholarship committee will be lead by Terry Carbonell with the goal of awarding our first flight scholarship in spring 2011.

Our next meeting will be Wednesday October 27 at 6:30 PM at the SW FL International Airport Training and Conference Center. The Training Center is located at 15924 Air Cargo Lane, Fort Myers, FL.  Light refreshments will be available and we will be viewing the new documentary “Breaking through the Clouds:  The First Women’s National; Air Race”.    More information about this exciting documentary, released in June 2010, is available at www.breakingthroughtheclouds.com. For further information please call Ellen Herr at 239 560 8526 or Terry Carbonell at 239 633 0077.

PARADISE COAST MEMBERS ATTEND THE SE SECTION MEETING

The South East and North Central Sections met in downtown Nashville, TN on October 1-3, 2010.  Judy Bowser, Terry Carbonell, Diana Noll, and Ellen Herr flew in from various locations, while Anne Roethke arrived in her trusty Prius.  With high pressure generating 30 knot headwinds, it was a long trip for some pilots.  Cold front passage also gave us temperatures in the 60’s, and a hint of fall color in the trees.

Friday night’s entertaining option was the Grand Ole Opry show which returned to its home location just a week before we arrived.    The spring floods along the Cumberland River had forced the country entertainment icon to relocate to various venues as repairs to its theatre were made.  The adjacent Opry Mills Mall remained closed.

Saturday morning was our business meeting, chaired by Governor Lisa Cotham. 21 members and 5 officers attended as well as International Secretary Frances Luckhart.  Committee reports were given and all members were encouraged to apply for the available scholarships. International Headquarters in Oklahoma City will host the next annual meeting on July 12-15, 2011, with the grand reopening reception on Thursday July 14.  Chapter scholarship chairs were encouraged to send information about available scholarships to Dorothy Norkus so create a centralized source of scholarship information.  Hanna-Mari Salo presented the Treasurer’s report and section annual financial report. Secretary Judy Bowser reports individual sections continue to assemble the required financial information to achieve non-profit status.  The FL panhandle chapter has not yet been formed, but several area members are interested.

The Fall section meeting on October 14, 15, and 16 will be hosted by the Paradise Coast Chapter at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Fort Myers.

Mary Wunder spoke about the Endowment Fund which presently has approximately $400,000.
A SE Section fundraiser raffle of 4 tickets for an aerobatic flight will continue all through 2011.  The Aeroshell T6 aerobatic team will be providing the ride.  More details to follow!

After lunch we heard from our keynote speaker, Janaan Sherman, who is writing a biography about pioneering pilot Phoebe Omlie, a Tennessee native.  Phoebe was an early air racer, mechanic, and 99s charter member, but has largely been forgotten by historians.  Phoebe’s biography will be published by mid 2011.

Following this was a presentation by pilot Peter Cassidy, who demonstrated the utility of the iPad for cockpit charts and other functions.  Now I know what I want for Christmas!

Our Saturday night dinner banquet was well attended with line dance instructor Jenny Cain getting us moving later in the evening.

The 2011 Spring Section meeting will be held in New Orleans, LA.  Watch this website for more information!  Hope to see you there!

The weekend of April 23rd found 4 of the Paradise Coast members in Fort Lauderdale for the Southeast Section 99s Spring Fling Meeting. Jessica Stearns, Ellen Herr, Judy Bowser and Terry Carbonell were treated by the Gold Coast 99s to a weekend of food and fun.

Friday evening saw the group of 99s - some 40 strong plus guests, on the River Boat tour of the area with barbecue dinner included. Breakfast Saturday morning was accompanied by a guest speaking on aviation accident investigation. The meeting followed where the 501(c)(3) issue was presented, among other things. 99s President, Susan Larson, spoke to the group to tell of the exciting thing happening with International.

Terry and Ellen wandered the town to the shopping district on Las Olas Boulevard, churning the local economy as is required at every 99s meeting. Dinner found the gals gathered once again at Bubba Gumps Seafood for dinner and a show. . . . and a fabulous time was had by all!

SUNSHINE DERBY 2010

Held at Page Field every year in November, this event invites the public to see static aircraft displays and talk to aviation related organizations and vendors.  The star of this year’s show was a WWII B-25 bomber.  Not to be outdone, our chapter brought its own display aircraft including Jessica Stearns’s vintage yellow Cub, Terry Carbonnell’s Citabria, and also Wild Mama, her racing Cessna 182RG.  Fellow 99 from Winter Haven FL, Jo Alcorn, also joined us in her Cessna 172.  We had several posters and an eye catching table cover for our display made by member Carolyn Skaggs.  A large advertising figure from the movie “Amelia” cast a benevolent eye over our display,

Members Kaye Tucker, Terri Krass, Nancy Moore, Anne Miller, Cheryl Lynn Dratler, and Ellen Herr were available to answer questions about the 99’s and our chapter.  We were assisted by student pilot Patty Berg. Members Joanna Gollin and Rhonda Culmer were unable to be with our group, but flew by us many times giving aircraft rides in a Cessna 172 and Hiller helicopter respectively.

We also distributed flyers about local proficiency race, the Sunshine Derby. We recruited volunteers to help with the start of the Air Race Classic next June. Jo and Terry, previous participants in the Air Race Classic, were on hand to answer questions about women’s air racing.
More than 200 aviation activity bags were given to kids of various ages, along with over 100 Amelia movie posters and hundred of tattoos. The “Girls with Wings” were the most popular of the three temporary tattoo styles offered. 

Money from sale of baked good and raffle tickets and cash donations helped increase the size of our “Wings over Paradise” scholarship fund.

Thanks to a lot of hard work from our members, we met a lot of pilots and aviation enthusiasts.
Can’t wait ‘till next year!!

The 2010 Air Race Classic is now history.
Follow this LINK to see the daily blog from the start here in Fort Myers, FL!

Air Race Classic web site

Take off Video

Please be sure to visit our sponsors website and join us in
thanking them for their support of the 2010 Air Race Classic Start

How well do you know your Paradise Coast 99s trivia? Try the Puzzle in Paradise to find out!
Click here for puzzle solution.

The movie AMELIA  premiered in Fort Myers Friday, October 23 and a group of local 99s along with the Air Race Classic Board were on hand for "dinner and a movie". Our group of about 15 met up at Mimi's Cafe for the usual fare - great food and hangar flying. It was the perfect opportunity for an impromptu girls night out

 
This was a great opportunity to increase the visibility of the 99's and our chapter by distributing information about the 99's outside the movie theatre.  Jessica did a great job at securing us a table at the entry to the movie theatre and Ellen with the help of Carolyn whipped up some quickie posters to let the public know that the legacy of Amelia still lives on. We handed out many flyers for the 99s and for the upcoming Aviation Day at Page field.

I am happy to say that there was a  mention of the "Powder Puff Derby" and of the formation of the 99's in the film; of course, for all of us, the mention was all to brief.

Thanks to all who were in attendance.
 

We were excited to have the Fall Southeast Section Meeting in Asheville, NC. Typically, the scenery is beautiful up in the mountains and the Blue Ridge Chapter had some really nice planned activities. The Paradise Coast Chapter was represented by Ellen Herr (flying up in her Cirrus), Terry Carbonell (with Wild Mama) and Anne Roethke (in her gas guzzling Prius). All in all there were about 25 members of the section in attendance.

We started in the hospitality suite, meeting and greeting and moved to the DoubleTree courtyard where there was a scrumptious spread of all sorts of finger foods. We got to meet and mingle until the party moved back to the hospitality suite for more hangar flying.

Saturday morning brought us to the business meeting part of the program. Governor, Lisa Cotham, kept the meeting light and moving along yet still managed to cover all of the business at hand. The biggie on the agenda was review of the 501(c)(3) information for all Chapters. Mary Wunder make a presentation about the 99s Endowment Fund and all the various methods of contribution. Ellen and Terry became the cheerleaders for the 2010 Air Race Classic. There was a lot of interest from the Section Members for participation as this will be THE best opportunity for anyone from the Southeast Section - the whole race is in our back yard!

The speaker for the afternoon luncheon was Denise Water, who gave a talk about air racing - how appropriate for us. She spoke of her around the world air race and also of the 2010 Air Race Classic and we got to plug the upcoming Sunshine Derby as well. There was a small silent auction and we got to sell some raffle tickets for the Paradise Coast Chapter MEGA raffle. So far, we have the aviation quilt and an adventure packet from Caribbean Sky Tours.

The afternoon tours were a wash out. There was heavy rain and a flash flood warning. Some of the 99s went off on their own exploring the town, but we headed back to the hospitality suite for more hangar flying until dinner time at the Renez Restaurant.

We all said our goodbye's early Sunday morning and Terry and Ellen headed back to Florida dodging little pop up storms south of Ocala while Anne was burning up the roads (in her gas guzzling Prius). The Spring Section meeting will be in Fort Lauderdale so we ALL should be able to attend for a good southwest Florida showing!

August found Terry and Cheryl Lynn headed west for the 31st annual Okie Derby proficiency air race, the race after which our own Sunshin Derby is modeled. Not only did they participate in the race, but they still had time for some local Oklahoma sight-seeing - aviation related, of course! Read the full story and see the photos of the trip and the Derby here.

Report of the International Ninety-Nines Convention, Chicago, IL – May 25, 2009
By Jessica Stearns, Paradise Coast Chapter

Chicago is a great place to visit and attend a convention. The Marriott Hotel on Michigan Ave., (The Miracle Mile) was conveniently located within walking distance of many attractions. During some free time I visited the Art Institute of Chicago, Water tower Museum, Millennium Park, and enjoyed dinner with friends at nearby restaurants. The weather cooperated with us and well kept flower beds were at their peak of bloom.

The primary business agenda was about Article V, Sec. 7 of the Bylaws; Termination, Suspension, or Expulsion of Membership. You’d think that this matter was sufficiently covers in the old bylaws. I wonder if our leadership feels threatened by members who wand to voice different views that that of the established leadership? Since I was representing the Paradise Coast Chapter with five votes, I had reviewed the issues with Chapter members and voted as our Chapter felt was best. In fact it was felt that implementing strict expulsion rules would be detrimental to the Ninety-Nines attracting and retaining younger members. 

At the business meeting both views were heard with a few more nay’s speaking. It was announced that 861 Delegate Votes were to be cast, but after the votes were counted for this controversial change, a larger number had been counted, but there was not to be a recount or another vote. Shades of Chicago? Because of the number of members voicing their opinions, concerns, tec., the meeting was extended for two hours after lunch. The other important change was that under Section 4, Classes of Membership, both Academic and FWP’s were deleted. A new class, Associate Member was created to include members who have a Student Pilot Certificate. They will pay reduced dues for the first two years, and then upon renewing for the third year will pay full dues.

In my opinion, a member who has to defend against expulsion will face an undue burden in both costs and time. I feel that membership matters are best resolved at the Chapter level, and as last resort, Section with appeal to International.

I do feel that it is important to attend both Section and Int’l meetings as our opinions, proposals, and ideas need to be heard.
 

Sherrie Lorenz  is in the process of flight planning her trip with this Piper Archer N944CC to Michigan in early September...  She will be sending updates and photos along both during and after the trip so stay tuned for more from Sherrie. Here is Sherrie's report:

Wanted to share some pix of our recent flight up to Michigan with Archer N944CC.  We filed flight plans for the whole trip and flew IFR.  Weather was decent and we had a great flight, visual approaches at every stop.  Our route took us from KFMY (Page Field, Fort Myers, Florida) to our first fuel stop at KCSG in Columbus GA.  Our second stop was at KLEX in Lexington KY.  We enjoyed the scenery along the way and reached KPTK, Oakland County Airport in Pontiac MI by late afternoon. 

Just a few more pix of our return flight...  Our first stop was back to KLEX in Lexington KY, and haze and low visibility had us flying the ILS there, but then the weather became even more challenging.  We had to reroute and refile our flight plans to avoid a massive developing ugly weather system West of Atlanta.  We had to divert around a few big cells en route to our second stop in KMCN in Macon GA, where the visibility and ceiling were just low enough to need the ILS to Runway 5 there too.  The remaining flight into Page was clearer, but within a few miles of Page, we suddenly realized that we had lost our radios (we have multiple radios on board, but apparently it was a malfunction in the audio panel switch box)!  We squawked 7600 and scrambled to get the handheld working, then we got a green light from Page Tower and landed safely on Runway 5.  It was quite the adventure! 

Congratulations to Dr. Anne Roethke, our golden member. Anne is celebrating 50 years as a Ninety-Nine member. We are honored to have her as a member of the Paradise Coast Chapter 99s and value her counsel and wisedom.  

Congratulation, Patty! We are all so proud that you have soloed a 152 and a 172 and you are now getting ready for your long cross country enroute to your private pilots' license. We anxiously await the news of your passing your check ride! Whoo-Hooo! 

With light winds and blue skies, seven 99s arrived at the Cockpit Cafe in 5 airplanes and 1 gas guzzling Prias for lunch and hangar flying. Nancy Moore accompanied Ellen Herr in her new (to her) Cirrus (ooooooo); Sherry Lorenze snagged a Cub Club plane; Cheryl Lynn Dratler made the long heard journey from Punta Gorda in her Baron (it was probably a longer taxi to the ramp than flight from PGD); Terry Carbonell came in her Citabria, Wild Child, and Jessica Stearns passed traffic on I-75 as she sported a tailwind in her Cub. Aaaah, yes, and then there was Anne Rothke in that gas guzzling Prias whooshing along (actually, she probably passed Jessica on the way back south).

The afternoon was filled with salads and sandwiches, hangar flying and tales of Oshkosh, the 99s convention, and all sorts of miscellaneous flying trials and tribulations .... and lots of good trips up-coming, too.  

The weather held out for our return trips home as the Florida thunderstorms failed to form until early evening today. This gave us plenty of time to gawk at the awesome pain job in the Pilatus.

Five months ago I became involved with a flying organization called Pilots and Paws.  My friend and fellow Paradise Coast 99, Nancy Moore, and I were looking for new flying opportunities beyond the $100 hamburger when we discovered this organization Pilots and Paws. Founded in 2008 by animal loved Jennifer Bois, the organization acts as a meeting place where people from shelters or rescue organizations that have pets to relocate can connect with pilots who can volunteer their aircraft and time to fly animals to a location where the animals can be adopted.  The website is well equipped with an interactive map that can show available the pilots along a route between a start and destination location using just the zip codes.  Shelters looking to place an animal can contact pilots along the route to a receiving shelter.   Most legs are flown to airports approximately 300 miles apart. If an overnight stay is needed or mechanical or weather problems occur, volunteers are also available to keep the animal overnight and return them to the airport for the next leg of the flight the next morning.

In April we flew our first trip in Nancy’s beautiful 1977 Cessna 182 N7577S. In Marianna FL (KMAI) we picked up a 60 pound lab pup and a 30 pound terrier mix to take to a rescue organization in Stuart.   A volunteer who transported these dogs to the Marianna Airport explained their shelter in Chipley, FL served a five county area.  Due to the poor economy and lack of funding for spay/neuter programs, their high kill shelter had many more dogs available for adoption than they could hope to place.  A seven hour drive to a no kill shelter could be reduced to a 2 hour flight in the 182. We topped off our tanks, loaded our dogs, one in the baggage compartment and one in the rear seat, and away we went.  They were a little tense as passengers and a little smelly, too.  But soon both fell asleep on this beautiful VFR flight.  Landing in Stuart we unloaded our passengers to the waiting volunteers of Dogs and Cats Forever, Inc. in Port St. Lucie.  It was a long  but a very rewarding day taking these dogs where they would have an opportunity for a second chance.

We flew our second trip from Craig Municipal (KCRG) at Jacksonville to Ft. Lauderdale (KFXE) in June.  Our passenger was a 5 month old purebred Australian Shepherd.  Hyatt began his journey near Atlanta, GA and spent the night in Jacksonville.  The foster volunteer delivered our passenger to Craig Air Center, where he thoroughly charmed the FBO’s staff.  The front desk personnel gave him a bowl of water, which he drained.  I just hoped we wouldn’t have a make an unscheduled pit stop.  So this was my leg to fly, and so taxied to the runup area.  Looking behind us after completing the runup we saw Hyatt out of his cage and wanting to join us in the cabin.  After shutting down to “reposition cargo” we departed with Hyatt stretched out in the back seat.  Of course this happened in front of the tower, so I’ll bet the tower personnel got a good laugh watching two women struggle with one dog.    At KFXE we were met by a thundershower, and Lisa of Mini Australian Shephard Rescue.  And a special thanks to the personnel of Banyan Air Services who helped clean up the lobby floor when our passenger quite didn’t make it outside in time after his plane ride.  After all, it was raining!!

This has been a great flying experience for Nancy and I, and we encourage other pilots to get involved.  We can give you some tips about getting the proper size cages for your plane and how to secure them.   Since Pilots and Paws, Inc. has 501(c)(3) approval, flight expenses are deductible.  From September 12 to the 20th, Pilots N Paws 5000 is being organized nationwide to coordinate the transport of 5000 pets from high kill shelters to areas where shelters are available to place these pets.  This is a great tool to promote the utility and visibility of general aviation while helping reduce the number of animals euthanized nationally.  Please see the website http://pilotsnpaws.org/pnp5000-guidelines/ for more information.

As a follow up- Nancy has completed another "hairy" mission. Check her out on Fox4 News. 

Various members of the Paradise Coast 99s could be seen at the annual air show in Oshkosh, WI, known as AirVenture 2009. Kaye Tucker, Cheryl Lynn Dratler and Terry Carbonell were among those in attendance for this event that some pilots consider "the granddaddy of them all". This years' show featured the arrival and areal demonstration of the Airbus A380, the White Knight 2, Erikson Air Crane and the C-5 plus a host of aerobatic and precision flying performers.

WAI, AOPA and EAA teamed up for WomanVenture 2009 on Friday where the highlight was the mass photo of all the woman pilots who picked up their lavender T-shirts to celebrate the event; followed by the all woman air show for the afternoon.

Besides the air shows, there were forums, movies, panel discussions, speakers, authors, vendors and many displays featuring home built aircraft, warbids, ultra-lights, classics and just regular airplanes galore.

To read all about Terry's adventure to AirVenture, click on http://www.teamwildmama.com/id46.html.

August 2008 found the fearless foursome of Jessica Stearns, Terry Carbonell, Lynn Graham and Suzanne Nickerson flying off to Oklahoma City to compete in the 30th annual Okie Derby. Their efforts were rewarded with a 7th place overall finish - not bad for the team that flew farthest to get there. You can read the full story and see pictures at  http://www.teamwildmama.com/id48.html.

 It's 11th for Classic 11: After four days and 15.5 flight hours, Classic 11 (Terry Carbonell, FL; Caroline Baldwin, NM; Lydia Baldwin, CO) placed 11th in the overall standings for the 2009 Air Race Classic. We had a great time, flew a good, clean race and did not make any major errors. We were faced with headwinds the entire race - as were the rest of the racers - but we managed to find enough pockets of favorable wind to earn ourselves 3 leg prizes. I am looking forward to racing again in 2010, especially with the start right here in Fort Myers! To read the complete race blog from Team Wild Mama, go to our web site at www.teamwildmama.com and click on the 2009 ARC page. For more information about the Air Race Classic, visit the organization web site at www.airraceclassic.org

Welcome to Paradise!

The Paradise Coast Chapter 99s  invite you to Fort Myers, FL for the start of the

2010 Air Race Classic
June 22-25, 2010

Check out the daily blog for the pre-race activities.

         Our host hotel for this prestigious event is the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza.

Reserve your room here for the pre-race dates.

Your race registration for the start is due by May 15th.
Click here for the start registration packet and arrival instructions for Page Field.

Paradise Coast Chapter 99s is actively seeking sponsors for the Start Activities. 

Paradise Coast Chapter 99s is using the race start as our premier fund raising event to raise money for our Wings Over Paradise Scholarship Fund, designed to support the efforts of women learning to fly and pursuing their aviation dreams.

 We are conducting a "MEGA-Raffle" with the drawing to be held on June 20, 2010 at the Start Banquet at the Crowne Plaza. Tickets for the raffle are $5 each or 5 for $20.

Click here to see the growing list of items for the raffle.

To donate an item to the raffle, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call Terry at 239-633-0077. 

Please download the sponsorship brochure or contact us for more information.

We want to thank those sponsors who have already contributed.

REXAIR FLIGHT & MAINTENANCE CENTER

Maassen Oil Company

Sports Optics

Miller, Helms, and Folk, PA

Enterprise Rent-a-Car

Hertz Rent-a-Car

Emergency Response International

Marco News Article featuring Paradise Coast 99s! Click here for printable pdf.

A big Happy Birthday to the Paradise Coast Chapter 99s for celebrating our first birthday during the month of May 2008. For a new chapter, we have come a long way!