Website: http://co-opa.com November 2012, Vol. 12, Issue 11 President's Message: Time to meet again at 6pm at the KBDN Flight Services Building for the usual tall tales, followed by our famous pot luck at 6:30pm. Then we'll have a short business meeting at 7pm. Big things continue to happen out at Prineville Airport (S39). Kelly Coffelt, the S39 Airport manager will drop by our meeting this month to share some thoughts on our sister airport. It sometimes seems a long way away, and yet many Bendites, like Kelly, commute, or hanger there. Maybe we can find a way to be more inclusive of Prineville to help build the CO-OPA. Stay tuned as I expect, as in years past, we'll schedule a restaurant, and Yankee Gift swap for our December meeting. No one will want to miss that one, maybe even the tail wheel spring will make a return engagement? Calendar: 15 November – Monthly Meeting 17 November – Monthly Flyout 20 December – Annual Partay! 22 December – Monthly Flyout 17 January – Monthly Meeting 19 January – Monthly Flyout 21 February – Monthly Meeting 23 February – Monthly Flyout Web doings: Check out current and past CO-OPA newsletters, view our membership list and view hot aviation links on our website at: co-opa.com To access the members only areas the username is “BDN” and the password is “123.0” Norma's Christmas Charity: Whether you come to the meeting or not, be sure to check in with Don Wilfong about this year's Norma Wilfong/CO-OPA Christmas Charity. Fund raising needs to be done before the December meeting so Don and his elves can properly plan. Our own little way to pay it forward, help us help them if you can. Don hates spam, so you'll have to find his email address in the CO-OPA membership list (see above item). My INBOX: A big shocker this week. Butler Aircraft has sold their firefighting business to Aero Air of Hillsboro. Butler will keep their Redmond (KRDM) FBO, but sell their DC-7s, Madras hanger and the rest. In return Aero Air will move seven MD-87 jet tankers and 36 to 60 mechanics to Madras Airport (S33). Congratulations to the Madras Community that has been working on the deal for a long time. Berg Air will be selling a lot of jet fuel next year and Madras gets a lot of good aviation related jobs. To save you looking it up, as I had to, the MD-87 is a DC-9 variant . It has a maximum takeoff weight of 140,000 pounds and can carry a full load of almost 70,000 pounds at 500 mph for over 2,000 miles. Aero Air plans to fit them with 4,000 gallon water tanks. This is not your father's air tanker. To refresh your memory on Aero Air, they have been an Oregon company since 1956 and it is co-owned by Kevin McCullough and Jack Erickson (former owner of Erickson Air-Crane). Both are also heavily involved in the wonderful Tillamook (KTMK) Air Museum October Flyout Are we in a rut? September we flew to Klamath Falls (KLMT) and November we flew out to Chiloquin (2S7). Repeat or not we just had to christen the new runway so down south we flew again. The weather was a bit dodgy so I flew east of Paulina, over Silver Lake and on to 2S7. Jerry and Don flew IFR (I Fly Roads) down Highway 97. Comparing notes later it was hard to say if one choice was better than the other. We all landed to the north, due to the hill on the north of 17, and we all got a bump crossing the Sprague River on short final. The only thing pretty about the landings was the new runway. Followed by the most dangerous part of the trip, crossing Highway 97 to get a fine lunch inside Melita's. Funny how much Chiloquin looks similar to Bend yet the Lodgepole Pines have such a different look to them. After failing to get a ride to the local Kla-Mo-Ya Casino, and finding the Railroad Museum closed for the winter, we took a casual hike in the woods before heading home. Rut or not, the food was good, the scenery fine and company great. In spite of the weather the worst part of the trip was walking across Highway 97 for food. If that's a rut, a good one to be in. I'll take it. Newsletter Inputs: Send your newsletter tidbits to: gem@rellim.com Photos by: Ed Endsley