Good Afternoon Everyone!
I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend!
In the last month, quite a bit has happened... some positive, and some that may not seem as positive. First, the weather... it was positive and now, not so much! Having the hangar door open for such a short time was a horrible tease, and has many of us wishing for summer that much more. None-the-less, having the hangar door open, and comfortably occupying the hangar is such a great thing after the long winter.
When that time rolls around, the pilots get anxious and want to go fly... so that means the end of maintenance season and on to the airshow season. First show of the year was the Doolittle Raider's Reunion at Lincoln, NE. The crew had some problems with the right engine, but worked them out and it was a very successful appearance.
The biggest topic at the hangar has been related to all of the media attention hitting us lately. Yes, we have had our events, private and public (this includes Dances) shut down. It seems that a lack of a sprinkler system is against code, and the building has been deemed unsafe for large crowds. This is something we have been dealing with for over a year now. Our funding (the bonding bill) was rejected by the City of South St. Paul because of the stipulations attached to it. Since that is the case, attention has come our way and the goal is to gain support and funding so that we can improve the hangar with a new sprinkler system. We want to assure everyone that the loss of events will NOT be the end of the Minnesota Wing. There is a plan, and we have a huge amount of support. The media is creating a massive amount of interest, and generating new members as well. This will end up being a huge benefit to us, in the long run!
On to the dances... We plan to have them. We have gotten permission to use a new hangar across the ramp (it has a sprinkler system). It won't be the same feel, but we believe people will be receptive to the goal of getting us back into our hangar, and help contribute. We are in process of finalizing with the City of Inver Grove Heights (this hangar is just across city lines, and is IGH's jurisdiction). So, we'll need help! The Spring Dance will be on May 21st.
Despite the lack of private events, the hangar will have a lot of work going on. This will give us an opportunity to organize and clean. Parts, tools, museum items, everything could use going through. This will be a great opportunity, but will need a lot of support! Even if you aren't sure of the difference between a magneto and can of paint, you can still help!
If anyone has any questions, or suggestions on how to fund the sprinkler project, please feel free to email me (exec@cafmn.org) or Amy (wingleader@cafmn.org) or catch us down at the hanga
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