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The Phoenix 99s to Land at Ak-Chin March 17

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The Phoenix Chapter of The Ninety-Nines is holding their annual fly-in and spot landing contest on Saturday, March 17 at the Ak-Chin Regional Airport. The event will begin with a pilot briefing at 8 am and at 9 am, the pilots will take to their planes for the contest. The public is welcome to attend to watch the spot landing contest.

The Ninety-Nines is an international non-profit organization that was formed to promote the advancement of women in aviation through education, scholarships, and mutual support while sharing a passion for flight. Founded in 1929, the organization was named The Ninety-Nines for its 99 charter members by its first president, Amelia Earhart. Today there are 188 chapters in 35 countries. To find out more about The Ninety-Nines, visit www.phx99s.org or www.ninety-nines.org.

Airport business neighbors, Desert Aero Club will serve as the judges. According to Airport Manager, Tim Costello, judging is a difficult task. “The planes are moving really fast, so it’s a challenge to determine the exact spot the main gear touches the runway and stays down.”

Awards will be presented to the winning pilots at the conclusion of the contest. Come support “the women who love to fly!” It’s going to be fun!
 
[Photo credit: Nancy Crase]

Ercoupe Enthusiasts Fly In for Fun at Ak-Chin Regional Airport

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The Arizona Coupe Group and Ercoupe Owners Club, the national organization of Ercoupe owners, held a fly-in at the Ak-Chin Regional Airport on October 21-23. Planned with the help of Desert Rat Aviation/Desert Aero Club, this event hosted 26 members with a total of 11 Ercoupes attended the 3-day event. The Ercoupe is a type of light aircraft first built in the 40s with production through the 70s. Of the 11 aircraft in attendance at the fly-in, nine were manufactured in 1946 and 1947, one was manufactured in 1959 and the newest one was from 1966. Desert Rat Aviation/Desert Aero Club, who does vintage restoration and provides flight training, has two Ercoupes for training purposes.

Awards were given for Best Coupe, People’s Choice and Furthest Distance Traveled. The Best Coupe went to N94656, owned by Chuck Stevens, and based in Casa Grande, AZ (shown with this post). The People’s Choice went to N411F, owned by Jim Burdge, who also is based in Casa Grande, AZ. The Furthest Distance Traveled went to N99601, owned by Chuck Rosenfeld, who flew in from Sun River, Oregon. His flight plan showed a 912 mile trip, which was accomplished in 2 days.

According to Airport Manager, Tim Costello, the Coupe Group love the airport as a great place to hang out and talk about various aircraft. If you want to host an event for your aircraft club, contact Tim Costello at 520-568-1683.