Fall is my favorite time of year. Now, I always enjoy the summer too. The afternoon thundershowers with their lightning, thunder, wind and heavy rain always take me back to my childhood of growing up on a farm in Georgia. I would always stand behind the screen door of our farm house watching the storms and feeling the cooling winds and rain mist. My grandmother had taught me how to tell how close the storm is by counting the time between the lightning flash and the following thunder. Thousand one, thousand two, thousand three…BOOM…I still do this today… and I have taught my daughters how to do it too. The best things in life should be passed on.
Before I digress too far, let me get back to why the Fall is my favorite time of the year. As the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler, the leaves are turning to the most beautiful colors…my most favorite part of all is happening too…the skies overhead are filling with the most beautiful, blue, crisp, clean air. The best flying weather of the year is coming just around the corner and I can’t wait!
Fall also means that it time for the Southeast Aviation Expo (SEAE) again. This year will be the third time for the annual expo event put on by the South carolina Aviation Association (SCAA). Tickets are $5 with children under 15 free, students with ID free too! The dates are Friday and Saturday, September 27th and 28th. Friday is designed to lean more toward the Corporate or Business Aviation user while Saturday will include what I think are the funner parts of aviation and flying for the rest of us. I believe Corporate or Business aviation users will still be around on Saturday too, because, it’s my guess, they got into this business of aviation because it is fun.
In addition to tons of aviation product vendors, there will be lots of new airplanes to see with aircraft manufactures like Cessna, Cirrus, Diamond, Eclipse, Pipistrel, and others on display.
I am especially excited because Special Services Corporation will be having the Grand Opening for our new Cirrus Training Center (CTC). We will have our new Cirrus training aircraft on display. Come by and see them and visit with myself or one of our Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilots (CSIP). We would enjoy meeting you, talking with you, and answering all of your questions about flying a new Cirrus. Cirrus Aircraft will also have the Cirrus Vision SF50 Jet Mock-Up on display in our hangar for the entire Expo.
On Friday the Show opens at 1: pm and is essentially kicked off at 1:30 by NBAA President Ed Bolen who will give his Business Aviation Industry Update. In addition to all of the vendor booths and exhibiters; several seminars will take place on Friday. One that should not be missed, at 3:00, Cliff Jenkins, SC Aviation safety Council, will start the Light Business Aviation Safety Seminar. For those of you looking to add your next level of “FAA Wings”, this program qualifies toward the “wings” program.
Saturday morning starts early with the Show opening at 9 am. Lots of interesting, fun and informative seminars will be taking place all day with the highlight being former Blue Angels Pilot, Yogi Beare, giving his presentation: Lessons Learned from a Blue Angels Pilot. I’m really looking forward to sitting in on this one! There will be lots to see and do! Things should be wrapping up around 4:30 on Saturday. Go to scaaonline.com to find out more. I am looking forward to seeing you all there! Let me know if you have any questions about the expo or would like to attend.
Tim McConnell
Director of Aviation Accounts
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