Greetings,
Although it’s still hot here in Arizona, we’re starting to see some faint signs of the coming fall flying season with marginally cooler temperatures and a little rain. As you may have read in last month’s newsletter and perhaps on our Facebook page, APA is gearing up for the fall season starting with a Backcountry fly-in at Pleasant Valley (24AZ) at the end of September and our monthly Grapevine (88AZ) Fly-in starting in October. This is our first fly-in at Pleasant Valley in quite some time, and I know everyone is excited to see the airstrip being used again for fly-in’s. And of course, the Grapevine weekends are always well attended and great opportunities to spend time with our fellow aviators, talk airplanes, and have a great meal. If you are interested in volunteering to help at either event, reach out to Leanne Tawoda - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
I also want to mention the important work that Mark Spencer and our Backcountry committee have been doing behind the scenes with the US Forest Service (USFS) and the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) to secure funding to make much-needed improvements to both Pleasant Valley and Grapevine. This includes the installation of a windsock and charcoal grills, runway surface grading, and decommissioning the old access road at Pleasant Valley. All these items are sorely needed, especially decommissioning of the access road to help eliminate some of the vandalism we’ve seen there recently. While Grapevine is generally in good shape, the funding will help improve it further with the installation of two additional shade ramadas, vault toilets, and additional erosion control and runway surface crack sealing. However, it’s important to note that these USFS funding agreements are structured as cost share arrangements which require the receiving organizations, the RAF and APA, to contribute volunteer hours (brush clearing, painting etc.) to make up their portion of the cost. So, it’s important for us to work hard to ensure that we turn out the volunteer hours to meet our cost share commitment. If you are interested in volunteering some time to help at Pleasant Valley and/or Grapevine, reach out to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
In addition to Backcountry activities, it’s also exciting to see that we have revitalized our Weekend Getaways and Day Trip activities. Thanks to Rod Kunkel and Mike McCann for volunteering to take on these important activities for APA. Although coordinating these events sounds easy on the surface, it takes a lot of time and effort – thanks again Rod and Mike! You can get details on the upcoming Getaway to Gadsden Hotel in Douglas and Day Trip to Seligman on our Facebook page.
Thank you for supporting APA’s mission through your membership and please feel free to reach out to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any comments, concerns, or questions.
Fly Safe,
Chris