Sometimes life leads us away from the things we love, like aviation. After an almost 20 year hiatus, Stacie just earned a signoff for her biannual flight review. Congrats Stacie!!!
I invite you to take a moment with me and reflect on what happened 21 years ago. My condolences to those who lost loved ones.
This morning I was crewing at the Great Reno Balloon Races for RHS 99 Balloon pilot Karalyn, and took this photo. As they finished playing “The Star Spangled Banner”, on the word brave, all pilots hit their burners. They lit up the morning sky with flame as T-6’s from the Reno Air Race Association flew overhead. It was a beautiful sight to see, and a moving moment.
Hello everyone!
Just a reminder - we still have THREE slots we need to fill for our RARA Fundraiser. This is so very important, so please ask your friends, neighbors, and anyone you know over the age of 18, if they’d be willing to volunteer 4 hours of their time in our small merchandise booth, in exchange for parking and entrance to the Reno Air Races. Click HERE to sign up.
Is to give scholarships!
That’s right - Scholarships are POSTED! Visit our Scholarships page for more details!
As many of your may remember, we used to have two younger (aka teenage) members in our Chapter, Summer and Syd. Both of these young aviatrixes were from Truckee, and both received scholarships from our Chapter. Well, our esteemed Chairman, Heather received this lovely note from Syd and wanted to share it with you!
Good afternoon, Reno High Sierra,
I want to first say THANK YOU for giving me the opportunity to learn, assist, and grow from all of you. Today is my first day at the Florida Institute of Technology, pursuing my Bachelor's in Aeronautical Science with Flight degree. My first class was Meteorology for Aviation and Summer Benjermanson- a fellow Reno High 99'er, was in it!
I will keep you posted on my journey and again can not thank you all enough for holding my wings! I hope to make you all proud and can't wait to do the same someday too!
Also, if you find yourself in Melbourne, Florida, don't hesitate to reach out :-)
Syd Whisler
We’re so excited to hear from these former RHS 99s! Syd did include her contact information but I thought it prudent NOT to post, so if you would like to reach out to her, please contact rhswebmistress@gmail.com or renohighsierra@gmail.com.
While we all love flying and aviation is the glue that holds us together (like Click Bond, one of our scholarship sponsors') it’s easy to not fly. The reasons, dare I say excuses are endless. The weather isn’t good, you don’t have someone to fly with you, you only got 7 hours of sleep, there’s a cloud in the sky, and that’s before bring in the expense of Aviation Units.
Suddenly you realize it’s been a while, a LONG time since you’ve been at the controls. That was me. In the last two years, I’ve barely filled two pages in my log book. I know, it’s sad, right?
I was having lunch with an old friend (we were friends before we were pilots) Jenn from Great Basin Aviation and she said, “Dani, you’re going up. I’m booking it right now. You need to get flying again.” Well, today was that day. I went flying again. It was Glorious.
Thank you to Jenn, for pushing me back into the cockpit, and thank you to Stacie for setting a good example flying weekly. Today was one of the best days of the year. Though I haven’t landed a plane since my last bi-annual flight review, I had 7 good landings today, one of which was like butter, and only one that was meh. My patterns aren’t even bad!
Moral of the story, be like Jenn, and give a fellow aviatrix a push to fly. Be like Stacie, and post every time you go flying, so you can inspire others. The results are that this pilot dusted off her log book, took a flight, and is now filled with joy. From those of us who need a little push, thank you!
This past Saturday evening, the RHS 99s met purely for social reasons at the the recently opened Nashville Social Club, in Carson City. https://thenashvilleclub.com/
Sadly, this webmistress was unable to attend, but based on the photo, a good time was had by all. Thanks to everyone who came out, and we look forward to seeing you soon!!
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you with Staci.
Congrats Stacie, on soloing again!! We’re so happy and excited for you!
Per her Facebook Post one hour ago!
“Wow.. I did it! I solo’d today. I’m still pinching myself. Everything just came together so perfectly. I’ll be on cloud nine if anyone needs me today!”
Blue Skies and following winds….
Kay’s Obituary
Kathleen Margaret Bennett passed away peacefully on August 4, 2022 in Reno, Nevada. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and dear friend to so many in the greater Reno-Carson-Silver Springs communities. Her service to the community was extensive, exemplified in her work on the Carson City Board of Supervisors and the development of the Silver Springs Regional Airport (KSPZ). She passed away at 86 years old after a courageous fight against brain cancer.
Kay, as she was known by all, was born on June 8, 1936 in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York. The second of 3 children, she grew up in a close-knit, Irish Catholic community. Kay was a proud Brooklyn native and loved sharing stories of her youth; playing stick ball and street hockey on roller skates. Her older brother John recalled that as beautiful as she was, she was known to give a solid check to whoever crossed her. She frequently attributed her grit and tenacity to those formative years growing up in and around New York.
Kay married her first husband, Richard Najarian Sr., in 1957 and the young couple embarked on an adventure moving from New York to California, eventually settling in the San Francisco bay area, where they welcomed 5 beautiful children, Richard, Thomas, John, Kathy and Matthew.
When her youngest son entered the first grade, Kay enrolled in nursing school and spent the next four years raising a family and working to graduate with honors. She eventually became a surgical nurse, working in operating rooms at the dawn of heart transplant and arthroscopic surgery. She worked as a nurse for 13 years, the profession eventually bringing her to the Carson-Tahoe Hospital in 1985 as the hospital's surgery manager.
It was there that she was introduced to Nevada politics through her then husband, Hale Bennett in 1987. She won the 1988 Carson City Board of Supervisors election in the primary, the first women to do so in a Carson City election. She was elected 3 times and served for 12 years representing the Ward 4 district.
Upon retiring from the Carson City Board of Supervisors, she became a licensed pilot and joined her husband Hale in the full-time operation and development of the Silver Springs Airport. She and her late husband, Hale are remembered for their many contributions to Nevada aviation and for the tremendous growth of the Silver Springs Regional Airport in Lyon County. Literally creating a modern, commercial airfield from what had been, a weed filled, single gravel strip.
Kay retired for good in 2020 where she spent the last years of her life in a close and loving relationship with her partner Jim Manly, a decorated military aviation veteran.
Kay is preceded in death by her brother Raymond Cleary, husbands Richard Najarian Sr. and Hale Bennett, her granddaughter Allison Kathryn Najarian and her grandson Joseph Brennen Najarian. She is survived by her brother, John Cleary, her sons Richard, Thomas John and Matthew Najarian and her daughter Kathryn Barnett. She was blessed with many grandchildren; Kristin, Erik, Cassidy, Mark, Sabrina and Ryan Najarian and Megan, Timothy and Christopher Barnett. She was also a proud great grandmother to Vivian Allison Cockerell.
A Celebration of Life event is planned for October 8, 2022 at the Silver Springs Regional Airport, Silver Springs NV. Contact richard.najarian@cox.net for more details.
In lieu of flowers, Kay had asked that a donation be made in her name to either of the following groups that she patronized:
The Reno High Sierra 99s RenoHighSierra99s.org
Sponsoring pilot training & scholarships for young women. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made on behalf of Kay to the Reno High Sierra 99s
Checks may be mailed to: Reno High Sierra 99s, Kay Bennett
PO Box 12863
Reno, NV 89510 Or please contact Stacie Goodwin, RHS 99s Treasurer, at (801) 874-5710.
The Reno Chamber Orchestra renochamberorchestra.org
Donate Here: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?donation=rco
New Horizons
We are pleased to share a little bit of Kay’s Aviation history from the Reno High Sierra 99s 20th Anniversary Membership Yearbook Published by Lynn Meadows, in 2009:
Private Pilot: December 7, 1990 at the Carson City Airport
Hours: 600
Ratings: ASEL
Joined 99s: – July 1997, Reno High Sierra Chapter
Occupation (2009) Co-Owner / Manager of Silver Springs Airport
Previous Occupations: Elected to Carson City Board of Supervisors (1998-2000), registered operating room nurse (1980-1997)
Flying activities: Lyon County Fly Fest each May, Nevada Airports Association, have flown the west coast from Seattle to San Diego, to Denver.
Non-flying activities: classical music, photography, skiing, biking
Service and or social organizations: Silver Springs Chamber of Commerce, Northern Nevada Development Authority, Nevada Business Council, Lions International, and the 99s.
Flying Story: As a student pilot in 1990, I did my required solo flight into controlled airspace at Reno Tahoe International. After successfully landing and taxiing off the runway, I was asked by the tower controller what my intention was. Thoroughly shook up, I responded in a weak, nervous voice, “I just want to go home!” After a few moments of total silence (I suspect the tower folks were cracking up), a gentle voice came back on and guided me to the proper runway.
Kay - You will continue to live in the hearts and memories of those who knew and loved you.
Your contributions to the Aviation Community will live on through the Silver Springs Airport.
The Nevada Women’s History Project interviewed Kay - Click to watch a snippet or the full interview, or Kay Bennett for the page dedicated to her.
The Silver Springs Airport website also has some of Kay’s history - Click here to visit their history page.
Please share your stories and favorite memories of Kay in the comments section below.
Stacie G. is absolutely hitting the bullseye with her proficiency training, and has the flight track to prove it! WAY TO GO STACIE!!! Check out what she had to say, and look at that flight track!
“What a little studying and chair flying at home will do. Today I nailed my landings and my patterns were perfect. I’m so proud of myself!” Stacie
To my knowledge, there are 3 levels of aviation enlightenment, that is to say, understanding how planes fly. The 3 levels are best represented by the following diagrams:
This is the 1st Level of Aviation Enlightenment:
Level 1 - children, non pilots, etc.
Some people never go past the first level of aviation enlightenment. Others however, enthralled by the magic that is flight, head to the local flight school and start taking lessons. This is when the second level of aviation enlightenment takes place, and a flight instructor explains the 4 forces of flight.
Level 2 - Student Pilots, anyone who reads a wiki article on what makes planes fly
Level 2 of aviation enlightenment is not exclusive of Level 1, in fact it is inclusive. Level 1 and Level 2 “magically” merge like the mixture knob controls your stoichiometric ratio for that perfect mix of oxygen and fuel. The scientific aspects of flight are understood, but the magic is *not* lost. This is where some people begin to make the transition to the 3rd level of Aviation Enlightenment.
Level 3 of Aviation Enlightenment - pilots, airplane (aircraft) owners
As with the first two levels of enlightenment, the 3rd level also merges with the first two, introducing practicality. In many ways, the 3rd Level is the most meaningful because it introduces the propelling force, money. When magic, science, and practically all come together, you’ve reached the pinnacle of aviation enlightenment.
Let’s explore the propelling force in more detail - Money. This is where Aviation Units come into play.
A local Reno pilot realized the amount of money associated with learning to fly, owning, and maintaining an airplane was somewhat, (my words here because I can’t remember what he actually said) daunting, even overwhelming; and so he came up with “Aviation Units”. An Aviation Until is equivalent to $1,000 US Dollars; but because the numbers are smaller they’re psychologically easier to cope with. Here’s how looks:
Aviation Units Table
What do you think about aviation enlightenment, and Aviation Units?
This is apparently the season of getting things done!
Congrats to Dee, who finally got her medical!
Congrats to Karalyn who bought her 3rd balloon! (expect a blog post on that soon!)
Congrats to Leah, who welcomed baby #2 into this world! (I’ll see about getting a photo)
Last but not least - Check out Laura’s latest article in Kit Planes magazine! If you recall, we saw her kit plane at the BBQ with is gorgeous paint job!
What have you accomplished this flying season??
We’re going to have to schedule another movie night, because on November 23, another EPIC aviation movie is being released. What movie is that you ask?? Devotion. Before I tell you about the movie, let me first tell you about the book.
Have you ever pocket dialed someone? Well, I’m a special kind of person; instead of pocket dialing someone I pocket purchased this book on Audible. BEST MISTAKE EVER. Since I already had the book and it was aviation related I figured meh, why not listen to it? Let me tell you ladies and gentlemen, it was WELL worth my time, and it’s well worth YOUR time.
This book is the amazing story of Jesse Brown, an incredible man who with grace and dignity overcame enormous obstacles to achieve his dream of flying. Jesse Brown was also the first African American aviator to complete the Navy’s Basic Flight Instruction school. Though racism (and overcoming it) is prevalent in this story, there’s so much more to this book. It’s also the horrific story of war, how aviation changes the battlefield, and the bonds built between warriors. It’s a story about earning respect, and an amazing friendship forged in trying times. This book will take you through series of emotional loops, spins, and rolls from joy to anger, pride, love and sorrow. Simply put, Devotion is, “An epic story of heroism, brotherhood, and sacrifice” and I highly recommend you read this book. This incredible story has now been made into a movie!!!
Fellow aviatrices and aviators, tighten your seatbelts because you’re in for a ride. If you liked Top Gun and Maverick this story is going to blow you away, because it’s not fiction. Devotion is the real life version of Top Gun and Maverick only with more drama, because it’s real.
Here’s a link to the Devotion Trailer….
On a personal note - I just LOVE the Corsair….
Hi everyone, Dani here.
If you didn’t immediately think about a small single engine aircraft, well, that makes two of us! There I was driving down William Street in Carson City when I looked over at Mills Park and I saw something out of the ordinary, dare I say out of place (?) : a Cessna 182P. (Yes, I looked it up.)
Naturally I had to divert to take a photo. ;)
Some immediate thoughts I had on this were:
LOOK!! THERE’S AN AIRPLANE IN A CITY PARK!!!
Why is there a plane in a city park? (National Night Out)
From ballooning - how did they get permission from the land owner? (Well, it was a sponsored event, and they also landed to helicopters later in the evening. )
That’s a short field landing, in grass, with pants on! (Clearly not a skirt because each “leg” is separately encased.)
a. That means it’s also going to be a short field take off, in grass.
I’ve never landed or taken off in grass…..
Look at those powerlines and trees!
Recently I was listening to this little gem (“An Officer, Not a Gentelman” by Mandy Hickson) and heard the most interesting visual reference for altitude. But before I tell you about it, let me tell you about the book:
Mandy Hickson was one of the first female Tornado pilots in Her Majesty's Royal Air Force.
Tornado
Mandy was commissioned in 1994 and this book is her coming of aviation story. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book, especially since it was narrated by the author! This book went by so fast, and I admire how the author described her challenges and how she overcame them. Also, since the author is from across the pond, her pronunciation of English sounds a little different to my American ears. I had to rewind when I heard her reference the all-tee-meter, because I couldn’t parse what she was saying. It finally clicked and I finally recognized the word altimeter. Anyway, on to one of my favorite parts of the book. Before being allowed in a Tornado , Mandy was put in a trainer, a Tucarno:
Tucarno - trainer plane for the RAF
One of the things Mandy had to learn was low level flight: 250 feet agl, at 300 knots!!! Here’s a quote from the book:
“Trusting the altimeter for low level is not always the best policy, because it’s not sensitive enough for such fine margins. It gives you the height above mean sea level, not the ground. So initially you had to do it with a visual picture. The rule of thumb was pretty simple. At 500 feet, you could see the legs of cows, but you couldn’t see the legs of sheep. When you get down to 250 feet, you could see the legs of sheep. It was very technical.'“
That’s right, a very technical visual reference. I can just imagine someone exclaiming, “Would you look at the legs on that sheep!” and then someone else saying, “PULL UP !! PULL UP !! That’s a LAMB !!!”
Visual reference when you can’t trust your altimeter: at almost 300 knots and 500 AGL, you can see the legs of cows, but not sheep. At 250 AGL, you can see the legs of sheep.
I will never again fly over the farms in Washoe Valley and look at cows the same. I highly recommend you buy and read or listen to "An officer, Not a Gentleman". If the book is too much of a commitment, you might enjoy this 15 minute Interview of Mandy Hickson by UNILAd where Mandy talks about some of her experiences (which are also mentioned in her book). She’s now retired from the RAF and is a motivational and business speaker. https://www.mandyhickson.com/
Stacie G. was flying that day with an instructor, working to get her proficiency back. Way to go Stacie! Keep at it!
I hope you all understood my music reference there, but even if you didn’t, CONGRATS to RHS member and new Treasurer Stacie G.! After a Loooooong hiatus away from flying, she’s jumped back into cockpit and is taking back to the skies. Here’s what she had to say on July 9:
Today was a good day! Getting back to flying with an amazing instructor to help peel away the rust! I’m so excited to get back to doing what I love!
RHS Member Staci G.
The plane Staci G. is currently flying, based out of the Carson City Airport.
Dani here again -
4 years ago I was working hard to earn my private pilot certificate, flying all the time. My flight training was almost equally split between a Cessna 172 flying out of Reno, followed by a Cherokee PA-28-140 flying out of Minden. I loved that little Cherokee, which is what I ultimately passed my check ride in.
My husband flew our plane Pokey down to Minden today to chat with our A&P. Since I work in Carson, I was able to pop down to meet him for lunch at the Tail Dragger. The food was better than I remembered, and I had a delicious wrap. As always, the views of the airport are superb.
It was nostalgic being at KMEV, watching the gliders get tows. After lunch we decided to walk around and check out the planes. My heart gave a little jump and I fondly smiled when I saw the plane I passed my check ride in. It was like running into an old beloved friend I hadn’t seen in years.
Not only did I see my beloved 66Romeo, I also ran into my old flight instructor Andrew! We had a nice chat before it was time to head back to work.
What plane do you have fond memories of?
First and foremost- hopefully this photo is foreshadowing for Miss Lainey, our former Chairman Leah’s daughter. Fingers crossed this will be the “before” picture…
Secondly - Laura brought a delicious dessert called a Strawberry Pretzel Salad. Many of us wanted the recipe. I found a recipe that also has a video: Strawberry Pretzel Salad . Thank you Laura (I think?) for introducing us to this mouthwateringly tasty dessert that I want to make, but not share with anyone else.
This past holiday weekend, Dani Rhoda and her husband flew in their 182 from KRNO - KCCR. Here’s her account of the trip:
The first thing that made the trip exciting was of course the weather. Reno was nice, but KCCR (Concord, California) was marginal VFR and breezy. We knew the weather was supposed to improve, and there were airports along the way we could land at to wait if the weather hadn’t improved sufficiently. So, with our alternate airports identified, we made the decision to go.
Looking south to Lake Tahoe, just west of Truckee
On our way down, the weather improved though we ended up slightly altering course to avoid some clouds. The trip down overall was nice with Renoesque winds in Concord (16 gusting 23).
The channel of no clouds we ended up following into KCCR.
I love technology - our flight track from Flight Aware. Notice the jog close to KCCR where we followed the "channel” into the airport.
We landed, picked up our friend O. who used to be an A&P, and headed north towards KCIC, Chico for lunch.
Northern California farmland between Concord and Chico
This is when the trip started getting exciting - our alternator stopped working. In the past, it’s come back after a few minutes (yes we’ve talked to our A&P ). So we waited a few minutes, but it didn’t come back on. We decided to return to KCCR (rather than potentially be stranded KCIC) and notified ATC of our change in plans. We always use flight following. ATC is good, they responded to our notification that we were returning to Concord with, “So…..did you change your mind or is something going on?” We explained and they asked if we wanted to declare an emergency, which we declined. After a few pass off’s, we had the airport in sight when we lost our Garmin 430. I had my stratux up, so we could still had some info, but it was odd not seeing the 430 on. We were able to contact the airport and get clearance to land and notified them that we were on battery power, we’d lost our 430, and that if they stopped hearing back from us, it was probably because we lost coms. Tower also wanted to know if we were declaring an emergency, which we again declined. The plane was working fine, other than the loss of our alternator and our battery draining…. neither of which is necessary to fly the plane. Just after we landed and were handed off from the tower to ground, we lost our coms. But…. dun dun duuuun! We had a handheld radio. I contacted ground via our handheld to get our taxi instructions. Side note - using a handheld radio in an airplane without a headset is loud and difficult. If we were to buy another handheld, it will have a headset jack.
No GPS Navigation anymore…but we had the airport in sight and my stratux.
We parked and the guys (did I mention our friend O used to be an A&P?), popped the cowling off, and found the alternator belt was not where it was supposed to be.
Unfortunately it was 4th of July weekend and nobody was at the shop, but the office gal called the owner and voila, we had a mechanic. As in, the owner came out to take care of us. TWO thumbs up for Sterling Aviation at KCCR! They took excellent care of us and had Pokey (our 182) buttoned up and ready to go Sunday morning.
The folks at Sterling Aviation at KCCR were great! The owner working on our alternator belt.
With our plane grounded, we went to lunch and called some other friends who live 5 minutes from the airport and stayed the night with them. Sunday morning weather was again a factor, but by 2pm we could see plenty of blue skies and headed home. The flight home was 100% uneventful.
While we didn’t have an emergency, the flight was certainly a departure (ba bum bum) from a normal flight with our battery giving us every last bit of energy it had left. It was really comforting knowing that we had a handheld radio and stratux for backup. We have the stratux because for a while I was flying planes that didn’t have receivers. Then we found that our GTX345 has a limited number of bluetooth connections. Why is this a problem? Because when you’re flying with multiple pilots in the plane, every last one of them wants to be connected! Pilots, a group of semi control freaks. Who knew??
Overall, a great trip where we got to fly, visit friends, eat, drink, and be merry.
The best part was being at lunch with co-workers today and telling this story and the two gentlemen at the next table leaned over and said, “Hey, we usually have to have lunch at the airport to hear airplane stories!!”
