SPA Refurbishment Update and Opportunity

Dear Members

The wisdom of scheduling our Pawnee refurbishment for the non-flying period forced by the Coronavirus is now fully revealed. This essential and unavoidable investment in the one machine that keeps our club flying is proving to be a very big job.
While the metal frame is fortunately in good shape throughout, the whole airframe - fuselage, wings and empannage - requires complete replacement of the fabric.
Along with an unassociated but equally essential repair to one undercarriage leg, it will add up to a total bill well in excess of $50,000.
To fund this work while retaining sufficient working capital for the club to re-open after the hibernation in a good and healthy state, the committee has decided to apply to the GFA for a low interest loan of $50,000 from a fund established to help clubs with their fleets.
Treasurer Mark Morwood has run the figures to forecast an easily affordable path for us to follow, even in the event of a flying suspension longer than anyone may have originally imagined. The intent of this email is simply to inform you of the decision we have made for the club.

AND TO GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADD YOUR NAME

While the tug is stripped bare, we are now offering all members the opportunity to literally add their names to this important project in perpetuity. For a small donation to your club, you can have your name inscribed on a part of the airframe, to be sealed inside SPA until the time way in the future when the skin needs to come off again.
Tony Sorensen has kicked this off with an offer of $150 to have his name memorialised on part of the cockpit frame. Barry Collins and I have kicked it forward with $100 each for our names to be written elsewhere on the frame.
Now it’s open for YOU to add your name!
Just reply with your pledge to have your donation debited to your member account, and your name added to the list for Speedy to write on the airframe.
REPLIES AND PLEDGES BY FRIDAY 17 APRIL

Happy flying for the future

Garrett Russell
President