The April 2024 Chapter Gathering is
Tuesday, April 16th
Join us – in person!  Visitors Welcome

5:00 PM — “no host” Dinner at Craft Republic, off I-25 at Jefferson
6:00 PM — Intro & Program

Program: Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award Presentation—Emilio Verastegui

Joe Kluk, FAASTeam Manager of the Albuquerque FSDO will present the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award to Emilio Verastegui. The most prestigious award the FAA issues to certified pilots, this award is given to pilots who have contributed and maintained safe flight operations for 50 or more consecutive years of piloting aircraft. More info,

Join us to congratulate Emilio as the story of his 50 years of flying is shared by Joe — plus special memories presented by Emilio himself!

Where:  Craft Republic; 4301 The Lane at 25 NE; Albuquerque (off Jefferson, near I-25)
Directions: From I-25 northbound, take Jefferson Exit 229.  Turn west (left) on Jefferson for .2 mi.  Turn Right on “The Lane at 25 NE”, then left into the parking lot.

** Note: returning to this location, we will have a main room downstairs and a speaker system so you can hear better than our first time.  The owner also knows to plan more staff for our crowd. We apologize for the previous inconvenience and do not anticipate that again.  See you there!

Monthly Chapter Gatherings offer time to network with fellow aviation enthusiasts.  Programs are centered on exchanging experiences and ideas about aviation – airplanes, flying, and flying activities. Chapter business is addressed in bimonthly online Board meetings.  We hope to see you there!

The February 2024 Chapter Gathering is
Tuesday, February 20th
Join us – in person!  Visitors Welcome

5:30 PM — “no host” Dinner at Craft Republic, off I-25 at Jefferson
6:15PM — Program:  The Longest Flight in the X-15 Reconsidered                                          by Chris Gelzer

On April 20, 1962 Neil Armstrong made what turned out to be the longest flight in the X-15. It was not supposed to be that way. Typical flights were between 9-10 minutes: this one was 12:28. He has often been blamed for what happened and this is an alternate view.

Christian received his PhD in the History of Technology from Auburn University. He taught for several years before taking the job as historian for NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards AFB, in 2002. He has written or co-authored five books and edited another five, as well as published peer-reviewed articles and given public talks. He served as a technical expert for the theater release First Man. His wife was the chief historian at Edwards AFB and now works for AFOTEC, and

Christian has worked remotely since 2001. He is finishing his current book and hopes it will be available in 2024. It is about an alternate spanload to the elliptical, the one used in every airplane you’ve ever seen, touched, or flown on. Ludwig Prandtl, origin of the elliptical spanload (1918), published a second spanload theory in 1933 that remained virtually unnoticed. His ‘bell’ spanload is more efficient, experiences no adverse yaw, and has flown on a number of airplanes at the AFRC. Christian is also finishing his Sport Pilot certificate and has a Quicksilver GT-500 at Mid-Valley Airpark.

Where:  Craft Republic; 4301 The Lane at 25 NE; Albuquerque
Directions: From I-25 northbound, take Jefferson Exit 229.  Turn west (left) on Jefferson for .2 mi.  Turn Right on “The Lane at 25 NE”, then left into the parking lot.

Monthly Chapter Gatherings offer time to network with fellow aviation enthusiasts.  Programs are centered on exchanging experiences and ideas about aviation – airplanes, flying, and flying activities. Chapter business is addressed in bimonthly online Board meetings.  We hope to see you there!

The January 2024 Chapter Gathering is
Tuesday, January 16th
Join us – in person!  Visitors Welcome

5:30 PM — “no host” Dinner at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse
6:15PM — Program:   Hard Lessons Learned by Ted Hartenstein

Learn from Ted’s experience as an Air Force rescue pilot, Air Force Rescue Coordination Center supervisor, and crash investigator.  Ted will share stories from the 40 or so crash scenes he responded to, and dozens more cases he worked as a mission controller.

Ted is currently the Senior Aerospace Science Instructor at Volcano Vista High School (VVHS) in the USAF Retired Reserve.  He served 14 years active duty as a combat rescue helicopter instructor pilot, 15 years AF Reserves including AFRCC mission controller/supervisor, 7 years Arizona Air National Guard as senior command post controller for the largest F-16 wing in the Air Force, 10 years in Spokane Fire Department as FEO/Paramedic, 11 years in Pima County Sheriff’s Department as Deputy/Detective including fatal traffic collision investigation, and about 8 years of varied commercial aviation including cargo, passenger and medevac.

Ted flies an RV-8 and frequently shares his passion for aviation. He’s an active EAA Young Eagle pilot with our chapter and was instrumental in getting the VVHS Guitar group to perform at LOEFI 2023.

Where: BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, Cottonwood Mall, 10000 Coors Blvd NW, Albuquerque
Directions: North or South bound on North Coors Blvd to Cottonwood Mall, 10000 Coors Blvd NW. Take the Cottonwood Loop around to the south end of the parking lot. BJ’s is in a building of its own.

Monthly Chapter Gatherings offer time to network with fellow aviation enthusiasts.  Programs are centered on exchanging experiences and ideas about aviation – airplanes, flying, and flying activities. Chapter business is addressed in bimonthly online Board meetings.  We hope to see you there!