Are you Social Media guru? Do you like to write? Are you creative?
FMA Social Media
EDITOR
might be your calling
Contact us to assist!
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HANGAR JAM
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We would like to see every member host at least one
HANGAR JAM/CONCERT/PARTY
in 2015. Look on the website for more information and help to host your
Fly-In Hangar Jam/Concert/Party.
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JOIN OUR LIST
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EVENTS
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As soon as new events arise we will place them on the FMA Radar. Once confirmed they will move to the website calendar.
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Send an email to
William Ippolito,
he will send you a copy for $10 plus postage. That's a $2.95 savings plus I bet he'll even autograph it for you.
"A great read and one I'm sure you will enjoy - cover to cover" - John Zapp
Get your copy today!
Log in on the FMA website to get the FMA discount code.
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Two Passions
- One Goal -
Bringing Aviation and Music Together
"Pilot Musicians sharing their passion
while encouraging and educating youth (& Adults) in the
science and art of aeronautics and music."
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With your help, the 2015 FMA Solo winner, Drew Medina, has soloed. We are all so proud of Drew and knowing that we can administer this program successfully, look forward to many more to follow. Read the full story below in the NEWS section.
Are you going to be in Florida in January? Want to participate at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring - Jan. 20-23? We are putting together the roster now so get your name in the hat.
Or, are you going to be in California in January? Want to attend The NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA - Jan. 21-24? FMA has been invited to attend as a partner of the NAMM Foundation. There are a few credentials available! Contact John ASAP to get yours!
Would you like to perform a product review? How about a brief report on your home airport? We are sure others would love to hear! Contact us now to be included in the December issue.
We'd really like to hear your thoughts and ideas to grow FMA. Reach out and let your thoughts be heard.
If there is something FMA can do better, please let us know.
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| MESSAGE FROM JOHN |
Drew Medina has soloed! I'm sure many of you share my excitement. This is, for me, what it is all about. To help others find their happiness. Come to think of it, that's what playing music is about too. When an audience truly appreciates your music, they show their appreciation and in return the entertainer finds pleasure in their task. Not being a CFI, but having known many, I know they too get an enormous amount of satisfaction when a student solos.
Drew's CFI mounted a phone in the cabin to document the occasion. You can read Drew's account and see the video at the
FMAsolo.org
blog site. Drew pegged the headline as "BIG NEWS" and as many of us can recount our own solo, it is BIG NEWS. Visit the blog and offer your words of praise as so many have already done.
The FMA Solo Program is entering its second year with much anticipation. We have big shoes to fill. While building on our success, we are challenged to grow the program. I ask each of you to help get the word out to students, band directors and schools. I also ask that you help find sponsors and donors willing to support the program. With over 450 members of diverse backgrounds and diverse experiences, FMA members are perfect mentors for future pilots and musicians.
As I continue to seek financial support to grow the FMA Solo Program, I again ask that you reach out to Rich Chiappe at
Sky-Tec
to thank him for supporting the 2015 scholarship, Dr. Ian Fries for providing a 1st class medical, as well as the others who contributed:
Sporty's Pilot Shop
,
MYGOFLIGHT
,
Aviators Hot Line
and
Trade-A-Plane
.
As we prepare for a winter respite, plans to visit Florida come to mind. The
U.S. Sport Aviation Expo runs from January 20-23, 2016. From parties, presentations, music, airplanes, to an annual house concert, Sebring has it all. Confirmation just in that Drew Medina will be with FMA at the
U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring Florida on January 23 to give a presentation and a performance. I look forward to personally meeting Drew and hearing some awesome sax music. Hope you can join us!
Most of all, I want you, the membership, to know that I am greatly appreciative of your efforts. Many have been on the FMA Bandwagon from the beginning while others jumped on at various stages. I am eternally grateful for your support.
Has it really been that long? With the conclusion of the 2015 AOPA Fly-Ins, FMA has now participate with AOPA for six years starting with the AOPA Summits: Long Beach, Hartford, Palm Springs, & Fort Worth, then two years at AOPA Fly-Ins: San Marcos, Indianapolis, Plymouth, Spokane, Chino, Frederick, St Simons, Salinas, Frederick, Minneapolis, Colorado Springs, and Tullahoma. That's a total of sixteen events around the country that FMA members have participated! I am proud of those who stepped up to make "Music on the Ramp" a memorable and fun part of these events for the GA community while also performing outreach.
Would you like to participate in 2016? The
2016 list of venues has been announced: Beaufort, NC; Bremerton, WA; Battle Creek, MI; Prescott, AZ. I hope to see you there.
All the best,
John
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| FMA AMBASSADORS |
NEED YOUR HELP
Are you interested in becoming more involved in FMA, in spreading the joy of flying and music? Do you like helping others excel? Are you a coordinator at heart? Then consider becoming an FMA Ambassador.
Visit the
FMA Ambassador
page
to find out more, then reach out to a regional ambassador to get involved.
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NEWS
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WE HAVE A SOLO
Drew Medina soloed on October 10. The first FMA Solo recipient has succeeded in spite of having a full plate during his senior year in high school. Drew's flight instructor, Director / Chief Engineer at Piper Aircraft, Buddy Sessoms, said, "Drew is quiet, focused, driven, and definitely very diligent." Sessoms exposed him to a little extra, prior to solo. "We even did some night flying. I was surprised that he had no trouble transitioning - none of the usual 'flare too high' reaction; he landed normally."
Read Drew's comments and watch him solo at FMAsolo.org. His flight instructor mounted a phone in the cabin to document the event. Be sure to drop Drew a line of congratulations.
Late Breaking News:
Drew Medina will attend and present, as well as perform, at the 2016 U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida on January 23, 2016.
A HUGE thank you to sponsors of this year's scholarship. The scholarship is fully funded by
Sky-Tec
, the makers of the FLYWEIGHT Starter. Learn to Fly Courses were donated by
Sporty's Pilot Shop
. A Flight Bag PLC Pro and either an iPad Folio or Sport Case/mount were provided by
MYGOFLIGHT
. Promotion and advertising were provided by
Aviators Hot Line
and
Trade-A-Plane
.
"We have found that, perhaps more than any other teachers, band directors get to know their students' dreams. With these scholarships, they can help select students achieve them." - Tim Kern
"I used to be in the band and also drum corps and I feel it made me a more focused and better person. I feel it helped me become the President and CEO of Sporty's Pilot Shop."
- Michael Wolf
This next story is by member Jeff Auen. We met Jeff at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring back in January. He's one very talented entertainer.
WE HAVE LIFTOFF
Notice the space between the wheels and the ground.
November 2nd 2015 was a good day.
It's the oldest/newest AirCam. Serial number 26, purchased in 1996 it was moved in crates and boxes six times over 11 years to 5 states. It had about 2500 miles on it prior to construction. I called it the "GroundCam" for a long time. The build began in
 earnest on April Fools day 2014. When the kit was purchased the injected engines did not exist nor did the glass cockpit avionics. I guess that's a good argument for an abundance of patience. It's been modified to easily attach floats and the new full enclosure. Each individual piece of aluminum has been anodized, primed and painted prior to assembly to prevent corrosion, especially when on floats.
Thanks to Phil Lockwood for an amazing design and thanks to his team for the support throughout the build.
Thanks to Carlo Cillier, Claudius Klimt and Joseph Riedlbaur for expertise, skills, tools, moral support and an occasional kick in the butt.
Thanks to Claudius Klimt and Tom Katzenberger for navigating 2 years worth of government mire to obtain a building permit for a beautiful hangar (now called "The Speakeasy"), home to the GuitarCam and Claudius and Carlo's AirCam. The Hangar was built masterfully by Tam Lapp.
Thanks to my parents, Don and Norma for letting me build a cockpit out of a chalkboard and broom handle many, many years ago and for buying lots of RC Airplanes.
Especially thanks to Eileen, Jack and Nick for tolerating my 17 month "part time" job of building this thing and pretending to be interested in endless chatter about esoteric aviation topics.
- Jeff
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| Got to Love that TAIL ART |
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| EVENTS |
On The Horizon
U.S. Sport Aviation Expo (1/20-23/2016)
The 2016 Expo is shaping up to be the best yet. With the announcement that Drew Medina, 2015 FMA Solo recipient, will speak and perform on Saturday and the continuation of daily music, music at the LAMA dinner, and the annual house concert for FM's, this will be an awesome time.
The NAMM Show (1/21-24/2016)
Please contact us now to attend. Credentials are going fast and we know why. This is a huge event filled with every musical item you can think of while the musicians and music during the event is awesome.
Sun 'n Fun (5/5-10)
MusicJam and more. Are you planning to attend? Let's make this event a huge gathering.
AOPA Fly-In (5/21)
FMA supporters are working behind the scene to create more activity for FMs along with the Thursday night Jam. Stay tuned for more to come next month.
NEXT UP:
- U.S. Sport Aviation Expo - 1/20-23 - Sebring, FL (KSEF)
- Music daily 11am -1pm
- LAMA Dinner - Wednesday Evening
- House Concert - Thursday Evening
- Drew Medina Presentation - Saturday
- Contact John
- The NAMM Show - 1/21-24 - Anaheim, CA
RECAP OF PAST EVENTS:
AOPA Fly-In (10/10) -
John
Vaughn Skow coordinated the FMA presence in Tullahoma, Tennessee on October 10 for "Music on the Ramp" at the the final AOPA Fly-In of the year. The ramp turned out to be swamped so music was set up in front of the Beech Museum on high and dry solid ground. Music was absolutely awesome! Another Flying Musician Paul Leim coordinated the Friday night entertainment. It was super too!
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| Vaughn's Rock & Blues Trio |
Vaughn lined up his rock & blues trio as well as his other band Wind Up Monkey. Due to a late start and having to turn down the volume, Wind Up Monkey wasn't wound up. The trio played tunes familiar to many most of the day. So many compliments... look for video shots by AOPA... coming soon. Can't wait to do more in the Nashville area with Vaughn... What a class act! A huge thank you to Vaughn Skow, Dave Hannah and Logan Linning. (photo courtesy of Mindy Linning). Check out Vaughn's website -
www.VaughnSkow.com.
Vaughn also lined up the fabulous duo of sisters
Meredith and Claire McNair - Flyte Three. These young ladies stole the show! Their harmonies and engaging lyrics, to their original songs, are a
breath of fresh air. Flyte Three performs at many aviation events in the area including at the Gallatin Airport (M33). I believe they are originally from Texas but now live in the Nashville area. Take a moment to check out their website and follow them on Facebook -
www.FlyteThree.com.
Thank you Meredith and Claire for a fabulous performance which inspired others.
Paul Leim put together an outstanding show for the Barnstormers party on Friday evening. He kicked off the night by drumming to backing tracks of hit songs that he contributed. It was a masterful performance with Paul, all alone, onstage drumming away to the hits that he originally performed on. Then he brings his songwriting buddies onstage for a backstage style performance with Nashville's top songwriters: Paul Overstreet (also a FM), Even Stevens, and Wendel Mobley. Along with an All Star Band Jimmy Nichols, Spady Brannon, and Jeff King. What a show! Visit Paul Leim's website - www.PaulLeim.com.
More photos on FACEBOOK
I want to thank AOPA for their continued support. The list of
2016 AOPA Fly-Ins
has been announced so let me know if you would like to participate and contribute in 2016.
Spicewood Airport Music Fly-In (10/10) Scott
DFW Aviation & Transportation Career Expo (10/23) Bruce
With more than three thousand school children in attendance and another seven hundred plus teachers and chaperons, this event is the largest in Texas. Sponsored by the DFW Airport along with Tarrant County College and the American Airlines C.R.Smith museum this jammed packed event exposes youth to careers in aviation.
Texas Antique Airplane Association (10/9-10)
John
The call came in for entertainment for the TxAAA Fly-In which is held annually in Gainesville, TX. While many would love to rise to the occasion, Bruce Dunai was available and I believe he's hooked on antiques now. This is a fun group of aviation enthusiast who have monthly meetings at the various airfields spread all across Texas.
The last time I flew in for this event was well over ten years ago. Can you guess who was there with me? Joel Meanor with JSfirm.com (FMA corporate member). After pitching a tent, a storm brewed with winds that surely would have picked up the tent, with us in it, and tossed us into the Red River. We ended up camping in the FBO! Well, Joel mentioned he had played guitar but that evening he didn't show off his skills.
Fast forward to 2015 where Joel sat in with Bruce at this year's event to show why he is more than a just a pretty face.
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Joel Meanor (Corporate Member JSfirm.com) performs with Bruce Dunai
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There are other opportunities which are posted when received on the
FMA Radar
page. Please check out the blips and let us know which event you would like to participate at. If you know of an opportunity that is not listed, please let us know.
We want to hear from you about your event.
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FMA BANDWAGON
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Jump on the FMA Bandwagon
FMA Corporate Memberships and Sponsorships allow FMA to produce and present educational outreach, support the FMA Solo Scholarship Program and grow membership numbers through awareness. We could not do it without them.
RENEWING CORPORATE MEMBERS:
U.S. Sport Aviation Expo is proud to support FMA and the passion they bring to the blending of music with aviation. This nonprofit group offers tremendous enthusiasm and inspiration for the sport of music and flying.
About U.S. Sport Aviation Expo:
Sebring Regional Airport will host the 11th annual Expo January 20-23, 2016 - the largest sport aircraft event in the world to "See, Try, Fly, and Buy" sport aircraft.
You can help!
Please inspire someone in the aviation and or music industry to jump on the FMA Bandwagon.
Organizations wishing to jump on the FMA Bandwagon by becoming sponsors and or corporate members receive a variety of benefits. Details can be found online or by contacting FMA President John Zapp at [email protected].
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| PRODUCT REVIEW |
SONY Professional USA
FMA received a large donation from Sony Pro last year. The donation consisted of wireless microphones (DWZ-M50) and wireless instrument packs (DWZ-B30GB).
Here, member David Peel gives his assessment of the SONY Pro
wireless instrument pack (DWZ-B30GB).
I'm very excited to partner with Sony and the Flying Musicians Associated to incorporate the Sony DWZ-B30GB wireless instrument package into my stage show. I've been a professional guitarist for almost 50 years, primarily as a soloist. Confidence in my gear is very important. I've used many wireless guitar transmitter/receivers, but the Sony DWZ-B30GB package is far superior to anything I've experienced before. I love the simplicity, the definition, reliability and versatility of this rugged little package. Just being assured that the sound of my guitar is being transmitted accurately is comforting. Thank you Sony for a great, reliable product.
Members have been demoing units to use, test and review. Sony Pro wireless mics and instrument packs were used at several events last year and at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida this January. To find out more and to inquire about how you can participate, please log in and view
SPONSOR PRODUCT REVIEWS
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To contribute to the FMA newsletter please send articles, photos, videos, links, etc. using the contact form found on the website by the end of the month.
Let's all get out and enjoy the family and friends at an airport for flying, music and fun.
Flying Musicians Association, Inc.
501(C)3 Nonprofit EIN: #80-0433326
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