The HSC 2012 Panoche Airstrip Fund Drive is on NOW!!
Quest@HSC
I am reaching out to all of you in the Hollister/Northern California
soaring community for your help in raising the necessary funds so that
we can continue to have access to the Panoche Valley Airstrip (aka
Panoche International) for aero-retrieves and Gliderpaloozas in 2012.
As of today, Hollister Soaring Center has committed $300 toward the
goal of at least $3,500 that will be needed to secure use of the strip
for another year. (This amount is down from the $400 that HSC provided
last year because of the current HSC economic condition). In addition
to this HSC money, I have a little over $500 in additional funds that
are a surplus from the 2011 donations.
I was in touch with the owner Ziggy today and reaffirmed verbally with
him our Agreement for continued use of the Airstrip. He told me that
he would keep the yearly amount the same- $3,500- as long as payment
was made to him on time (December 1st). He also informed me that he
has been involved in attending the public hearings regarding the
future SolarGen project which is being planned for the area. Ziggy
seems to be pretty confident that there will be some sort of solar
power generation facility built in the Panoche Valley at some point in
the future, but that there will be quite a few delays because of legal
challenges. Because of those delays, there almost certainly won't be
any construction out there for at least another year. He did want to
let me know that even if construction commences, the project would not
impact his property or the area of the airstrip, and wouldn't really
affect our ability to use that strip for glider ops. Ziggy actually
seems to be in support of the solar project(s) because of the
potential for tax income benefits to area residents from the revenue
brought in, and doesn't understand why some locals are hurting
themselves by opposing the development.
Another new development this year is that I/HSC will no longer be
going through the "caretaker" Darrel for the payment and any other
correspondence regarding the Airstrip and the soaring community's use
of it. I will now deal directly with Ziggy in all financial and other
matters related to Panoche International.
In order to meet the December 1st "deadline" for getting the payment
to Ziggy it looks as if I will have to access my business credit line
for the initial balance of $2,700 ($3,500 less the HSC donation and
other funds present), and then take in funds as quickly as possible to
pay back this outlay of funds. If there is ANYONE ELSE out there
within the glider/soaring community who would like to volunteer to be
the "bank" for the Panoche Airstrip "loan" this year, by all means
please get in touch with me and we can make arrangements for the
transfer of funds. I usually use my business credit line only for
emergencies, which are almost always maintenance-related tow plane
repairs that HSC needs so I can get it back flying quickly. If I use
$2.7k out of my $5k business line, I am cutting my emergency funds
down to a very low level. Any help this year would be most
appreciated.
The average payment amount last year was about $100 from a total of
about 40 pilots or soaring enthusiasts. Last year, HSC contributed
$400 ($300 this year), and a few pilots gave $100-$300, but most were
in the $100 range. Also, several folks gave $50, or even $25, so there
really is no lower limit on the amounts that will help us retain use
of Panoche. (And please remember that no pilot really WANTS to land
there and use the strip- except maybe during the Gliderpaloozas. We
would all rather be soaring above it and within glide of it, or know
that it's available later in the day when returning from the south or
east. So if you say that you don't want to donate to the fund because
you don't plan on landing there, then you are the exact type of pilot
that we need to contribute to keeping the Panoche Airstrip!)
Also remember that by making a donation, you are making a contribution
to something larger than simply your own aspirations as a soaring
pilot. It is a contribution to the health and continued success of an
entire community. If you like to soar locally to Hollister or wherever
you fly from, or have no intentions of going cross-country yourself,
that is great. But please try to look at things with a broader view.
By keeping Panoche Airstrip available, it is an anchor point for much
of what goes on at Hollister, all the way from new student starts to
aspiring BASA cross-country pilots, to new mad-dash records and
everything in between. Sometimes a sport or avocation such as soaring
needs to have its own "Mt. Everest" to climb to keep enthusiasts
focused and provide goals to shoot for. The Panoche Airstrip really is
that lynchpin around which most of what goes on at Hollister revolves
around for pilots once they get their glider rating. Please help the
sport to stay healthy and allow pilots to have goals and aspirations
that may take them away from the local Hollister area, even if you
yourself have no plans to fly XC in the near future. Thanks in advance
for your support.
If you would like to donate, please confirm this wish by sending an e-
mail to me at: hollisterso...@yaw-hew.com. (The address is
actually yahoo.com, but putting in the full address may get this
message blocked as it goes out to the chat groups.) I would like to
get some type of response or "pledge" from those who are planning to
donate so I can generate a running total of the amount of funds I can
expect to see come in later. You can then send a check made out to:
Hollister Soaring Center LLC(or HSC) to: HSC; P.O. Box 1581;
Hollister, CA 95024. Or, if you'd rather make a donation with a credit
card, please call me on the HSC cell phone (831) 632-6235, and I'll
run your credit card info through the computer terminal at our office.
The best time to get me for one of these transactions is in the
evening (5PM-8PM), and during my "work week" which is Thursday through
Monday. You could also try during a Tuesday or Wednesday, but you'll
have less of a chance of getting me during one of those days.
Thanks for your support, and with your timely donations we'll be able
to keep the Panoche Valley Airstrip for use by the soaring community
throughout 2012.
Please cross-post this onto any and every other chat-group which you
think might help our chances of raising the necessary funds as soon as
possible.
Happy soaring, Gliderpaloozas,
and aero-retrieves from Panoche, if necessary.
Quest
Joe Karam
Hi Quest,
Put me down for $50, which I'll pay with credit card next time I am at HSC, or over the phone if you need it sooner. Feel free to give me a call at 650-450-9982.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Joe
Quest_R@HSC
From: Joe Karam <jfk...@gmail.com>
To: kcvh_soaring...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Thursday, November 24, 2011 11:38 AM
Subject: Re: The HSC 2012 Panoche Airstrip Fund Drive is on NOW!!