The Goody Bags are ready to go for the Ninety-Nines International convention, our work is done!

Here we are in the sea of goody bags, then out exploring for lava, meeting Jennifer from Tucson- an "Award Winning Amelia Earhart Scholarship winner!!!" and whadda we do? thrust John and Frances into her hands! She's the best sport ever. A lot of sight seeing needed to be done, and pilots do that from the air! Tookie, Don and Zack took a helicopter tour of the volcanoes and waterfalls on the Hilo side. Bill & Pam, Donna & Scott, took a charter flight around the whole island. Our pilot, Hawk from Iolani Air, gave us a wonderful tour of the island, flying around the smoking craters of the volcano, spotting red hot lava, beautiful valleys and waterfalls, celebrity mansions and unusual pools....Shannon and Jon piloted a 172 around the island Wednesday morning, Pam in the back seat with Frances and John. We saw black and green sand beaches, crystal clear coves, smoking volcanoes, and lost count of the many waterfalls.

Mr. Poggi's Helicopter flies!!!!

How exciting can it be, to go out to the airport on a beautiful morning like today, and watch the helicopter you've been building for the last 13 years do it's first hover test!?! I was beside myself, I can only imagine what it was like for Mr Poggi! I remember as a new 99, going to a dinner party at the Poggi's lovely home and Don asked if we'd like to see what he had going on in the garage? It was this helicopter. He was 70 years old when he started this, (Today I wondered to myself if I would even want to start sewing a quilt when I'm 70, would I finish it?) but it didn't phase him, so what he if he was 70, now he's 83, but he's got a flying helicopter!

Try clicking on this link to see if you can go to my you tube video of the helicopter flying

http://www.youtube.com/user/billpamrudolph

You Tube video

Membership - Women pilots from areas along the Colorado River are invited to join the Rio Colorado 99s chapter. Membership is open to all licensed women pilots.

Archives June 2010  "Desert to Ridges, Beaches and Bridges" the Rio Colorado Air Derby, Ricki's solo, Tucson 99s visit, Scholarships for Roxanne and Melissa

Archives February 2010  Pancake breakfast, Kristi solo, Dianne checkride, Frances solo

Archives May 2009 Reno Air Races, Pancake Breakfast, London Bridge Days parade with trophy!

Archives July 2009  Don, Shannon and Pam honored at the International Forest of Friendship, Big Bear Fly-out, Painting the compass rose at HII

Archives August 2009 Palms to Pines Air Race

Archives Dec 2009 London Bridge Days Parade, going to "Amelia" Christmas party, Scholarships to Roxanne and Melissa

Business card Exchange

YouTube.com

Photo Album View pictures of our events, fundraisers, and Fun

Scholarship Winner Melissa!

Melissa passed her written exam for Private Pilot on October 27th. Yeah, Melissa! We are so happy to have these new pilots in our group.

On Dec 11, at the 99s Christmas party, Joe LaPlaca awarded Melissa a $500 scholarship to use towards her Private Pilot rating. Shannon and Sherri accepted the award for Melissa.

Scholarship Winner Roxanne Cedor

In November 2009 we awarded a $1000 Scholarship to Roxanne Cedor to use for her Private Pilot training. Congratulations to Roxanne! We know she will be a wonderful asset to our group!

Upcoming Events:

SAVE THE DATE!

The Tucson 99s are beginning to plan for this year's Treasure Hunt in the Sky. You know how we always want to participate in this event, then something always comes up and interferes. Well, no excuses this year! We have months of advance notice, they are planning on Saturday November the 6th, so mark your calendars, put in for the weekend off from work, and lets go down to Tucson and have some FUN!

Recent Events:

July meeting:

July's meeting was held in Kona, Hawaii at the International Ninety-Nines Conference. Sunday morning we were up early, meeting at 7am, to go to the Sheraton and finish stuffing the 300 goody bags for the conference. It was a race against the clock to see how quickly we could get them done and then get out for sight seeing! Sunday's activities included the Turtles Independence Day, sea turtles raised in captivity, then released on the 4th of July into the sea. A stop at Hapuna Beach, one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world! A hike back into the woods to see Hawaiian petroglyphs, through a forest that looked almost evil. A parade and fireworks to finish off the holiday, it was pouring rain by then and we thought all would be cancelled, desert people that we are, but the locals didn't care.

Monday night was the "opening ceremonies" we headed over to the Sheraton to get a cultural tour and learn some of the local traditions. Then the luau, held on the grass outside the hotel at sunset. What a feast! Dinner features Hawaiian lu'au favorites such as kalua pork, poi, and lomi lomi salmon coupled with contemporary fare such as green salads, fresh fruit, teriyaki New York strip loin, mahi mahi and desserts We were entertained by some of our own getting up to do the hula then we were treated to "Firenesia"  During Firenesia guests journey along with a young man as he travels through Polynesia seeking to reignite the gift of fire. With skill, grace, drama and exhilarating dance, entertainers showcase the beauty of fire while their inspiring performances tell a mesmerizing story. (and exciting for us, we saw a lot of the small bags we made on tables, being used as evening bags)

Tuesday we were all over the island, hiking, shopping, flying, snorkeling..

Wednesday night was the Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Banquet. Tookie got up and spoke about receiving her scholarship, how it enabled her to get her CFI and open her flight school. Hanging out with Tookie, we were able to visit with the Famous People. We were excited to meet Jennifer Treese, from the Tucson 99s, who was receiving one of the scholarships.

Thursday was the ZIPLINE! Video here Our brave explorers soared like eagles above the forests of the Big Island on the Zipline-how exciting! The 'fraidy cats went to the quilt store and Vanilla Farm, which was pretty fun, too:) Then we all met for drinks and dinner and exciting stories of the day.

Friday-more shopping, eating out, snorkeling, boating with the whales and dolphins, visions of the Goddess Pele in the rocks, and night snorkeling with the manta rays!

We strangled back to the mainland, some on Friday, some on Saturday, some on Sunday, sad to leave our tropical paradise and come home to the "oven" All in all, a great adventure! Next year? Oklahoma!

"Day of Sew" June 13th

Sunday June 13th 9am. We got together for a Day of Sew at JonAli Quilt Store, 289 S Lake Havasu Ave. We have 300 bags to embroider for the Ninety Nines International Conference next month, and 300 small bags to assemble to go in the goody bags.

Unfortunately, we couldn't gather enough airplanes to have our flyout to Prescott Saturday Jun 12th to visit Dianne Tobin's new place and have our monthly meeting. So....the "Day of Sew" will doubled as the June meeting. We have decided to be the starting point for the Air Race Classic in 2012, input from the city, the airport manager, grant money that is available for the asking, and a notebook full of ideas and notes from previous races is at hand to help us make our decision. We love a big party, so of course its a done deal, we're putting this one on!

And it's that time again-elections of officers-and your officers for the next two years are: Shannon for Chairman, Pam for Vice Chairman, Sherri for Secretary, and Melanie for Treasurer.

May meeting

Meeting topics included discussion of being the starting point for the Air Race Classic in 2012, the upcoming International Conference in Kona Hawaii in July, election of officers in June, and flying pre teen girls on their first flight next spring, plus dinner and scholarship awards

Congratulations to Roxanne and Melissa-Scholarship Recipients

Scholarships:

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