This is it. The final issue of Swamp Gas for the 2005 year. We have had a lot of great times, but there is still one more to go. This year’s Christmas party will once again be held at Bobby’s Pizza on Rt. 80 in North Branford. Please come a join the festivities.

Message from the prez…
Another great year has come to an end. The positive strides forward in our organization have been tremendous. The four point plan of financial stability, establishment of an Emergency Fund, Flight line safety including our teaching program as well as the field reclaiming program have been impressive. Our financial stability this coming season will allow more club events and provide funding for field upgrades. This coming year we will be adding more rip rock after the bridge, re-graveling the entire road including the parking lot as well a maintaining the overall grounds at the field. Also we adopted to our bylaws an emergency fund. This will provide us the separate funds when needed for any future hurtles. In accordance with the AMA we added the position of safety officer. With the addition of the safety officer and the implementation of a compressive training program, our flight line will be an enjoyable environment for all. Finally reclaiming our field, the over growth on the road and the surrounding flying area will be under control to produce a flying site second to none. In addition to our regular club picnics, raffles and other events, these strides forward make me very proud of the membership and all who participated. I’d like to say thank you not only to the officers and board members but also to the membership. I’m very proud of you. I look forward to seeing everyone at the year-end Christmas party at Bobby’s Pizza where we can reminisce about a great year and look forward to an even better one. Happy Landings!

Mark Castiglione, ECSF President

P.S. I’d like to welcome Rob Samokar to the position of Secretary and Chris Petriccione to the position of Safety Officer. Welcome! We all look forward to working with you!

   
Message from the VP…
Congratulations!! To Chris Petriccione on his election as our New Safety officer! I hope the club and the membership give him the support he will need and deserves. Chris any help you might need feel free to call on me. Good Luck!

Steve Ludwig, ECSF Vice President/Former Safety Officer

Upcoming Events…
December 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31 - AMA Training 1:00 p.m. @ E.C.S.F. Field
December 3 - Tree Removal 9:00/10:00 a.m. @ E.C.S.F. Field
December 21 - Christmas Party/Meeting 7:00 p.m. @ Bobby’s Pizza (Rt. 80, North Branford)

Minutes…
The turnout for the November meeting was tremendous. The organization was represented with over thirty members, including two officers. There were many motions that had been open for several months, and now that we had a quorum, the meeting was all business.

The first order was the vote of the open motions. All motions passed with near unanimous decision. The motions are:
  • All new members meet the requirements of the E.C.S.F. Flight Program.
  • The position of Safety Officer is an elected position.
  • All nominations, for any position, be made 30 days in advance, and the nominee’s name appear in a prior newsletter.
Next, the vote for the open Secretary and Safety


Officer positions were held. Rob Samokar became the new Secretary as he ran unopposed. The two nominees for the position of Safety Officer were Chris Petriccione and Ernie Vongher. Mark briefly introduced each candidate and had them talk about why each wanted the position and what they have to offer. Both men did an excellent job, and after a close vote, Chris became our new Safety Officer. Congratulations Chris!

The business was done, and everyone contributed to a discussion regarding the field cleanup. This has sparked an interest in almost every member and everyone has had positive suggestions. In addition to the tree removal, the President and Board will investigate the cost of re-graveling the road and parking lot. As you can see, the was an extremely successful meeting Thanks to all that attended.

From the Flight Line…
The flight training program is continuing to have good attendance on Saturday’s @ 1:00 p.m. Almost everyone from AMA Training Class 2 and 3 continues to show up, regardless of the losing battle to the weather. Training will continue until it is determined that Mother Nature has won and it is time to stop until the Spring.

Some quick notables. Jim Shefcyk has made good improvement and now can take-off and land on his own. The ability the achieve this level in the cold is a nice accomplishment. We look forward to seeing more from Jim in the Spring.

We also like to congratulate the rest of Class 2. The members, which include Chris Broomfield, Rick Weiss, Rick Weiss Jr., Chip Krantz and Dan DeBerry, have a made tremendous improvements.

At their rate of improvement, and the worsening weather, AMA Training Class 2 should be ready for graduation late March or early April.

    AMA Training Class 3 is also underway. Its current members include Dave Flood, Brian O’Sullivan, Craig Miller and our newest member Nick. Nick has come out, completed his initial flight, and seems to be a good, active candidate.

As you can see, there a many students that are looking for help. Taking on this many students would not be possible without the generous time commitment made by our members. I could not have done this alone and would like to thank the efforts of our 1st Assistant Instructor Dave Melendez, Mark Castiglione, Steve Ludwig, Mike Luzzi, Jim Cyr and Dave Teer.

I’d also like to thank all of our members for the nomination and election to the position of Safety Officer. Steve Ludwig, my predecessor to this position, has congratulated me and has brought me up to speed regarding the roles and responsibilities of this position. These guidelines, were created under the direction of the AMA and adopted by E.C.S.F. during Steve’s tenure as Safety Officer. They were printed in the November 2004 newsletter and unanimously voted in during the April 2005 meeting under Article III of the field rules. The November 2004 newsletter states:

“The Safety Office/Field Marshall shall be responsible for the overall safety environment at the Flying field. He has the responsibility and the authority to bar individuals, whether club members or not, from using or continuing to use the club flying field if they do not adhere to the AMA and club Safety rules and procedures.

Any person so barred from the use of the flying field may not fly from the club field until arrangements have been made with one or more of the club officers to correct the unsafe situation that caused him to be barred. The Safety Officer/Field Marshall must approve these arrangements before he may again use the field.





If the Secretary Treasurer is, for any reason, unable to fulfill his duties, the Safety Officer/Field Marshall shall assist or take over the Secretary Treasurer's duties as needed.”

Chris Petriccione, ECSF Head Flight Instructor/Safety Officer

Reclaiming Our Field…
On November 12th, E.C.S.F. club members, led by Chris, met at E.C.S.F. Field and had many discussion about what should be done. Some of these discussion even centered around town regulations regarding the treatment of wetlands. When the day was done, the top three areas that need cleanup were:
  • Widen the road to make it passable by two cars.
  • Cleanup the corner of the field near the farmer’s field, across from the flight line.
  • Improve the approach, when made from the road.
December 3rd - A committee will meet, with the tree removal crew, and make sure that all marked trees are removed. Any issues or concerns which come up during the day, will be addressed by the committee. The current members are Chris Petriccione, Mark Castiglione and a Tree Removal Supervisor. The committee is looking for additional members/officers to get involved with this effort.

DATE TBD. Once the trees are dropped, they will need to be limbed and cut into manageable pieces. This will allow them to be moved and chipped at a later date. This crew, being led by Joe Ippi and Jim Shefcyk, is currently looking for members. Each participant will need a chainsaw, boots, gloves, safety glasses and any other safety equipment necessary.

DATE TBD. Once all trees have been limbed, they will need to be chipped. This committee, led by Rob Samokar and Chris Petriccione, is currently looking for members. Each participant will need boots, gloves and safety glasses.

DATE TBD. Now that the trees are out of our way, the underbrush needs to be cleared. We are looking into renting sickle-bar mowers or brush cutters. No committee has been formed yet. If interested, please contact Chris. 		   
That’s all the information for now. As you can see, this is going to be a tremendous effort and will require a huge amount of club support. Every little bit helps, so please get involved. This is for the betterment of our club. Thanks.
Until Next Time ... Happy Landings!