HELLO, "City OF YUMA" FANS;

IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE OUR LAST NEWSLETTER AND A LOT HAS HAPPENED. IT’S WAY PAST TIME TO GET EVERYONE CAUGHT UP ON THE STATUS OF THE ""City OF YUMA" ENDURANCE PLANE. WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY OF THIS NEWSLETTER, BUT AFTER TWO AND HALF YEARS, JUDY AND I NEEDED A BREAK. NOW TO WHAT’S HAPPENING…

WHERE WE ARE:

AS EVERYONE THAT HAS RECEIVED NEWSLETTERS OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS KNOWS, WE SET MANY OBJECTIVES WHEN THE DECISION WAS MADE TO BRING THE HISTORIC PLANE BACK TO YUMA. FIRST, WAS TO GET IT HERE. THEN WE BEGAN RESTORING IT TO ITS ORIGINAL CONFIGURATION THAT IT WAS DURING THE FLIGHT IN 1949. WE MADE IT FLIGHT WORTHY AND FLEW THE COMMERORATIVE FLIGHT ON THE 50^Th ANNIVERSARY ON OCTOBER 10^th 1999. THEN WE DEDICATED THE FAMOUS LITTLE PLANE TO THE COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE OF YUMA. AND, FINALLY, WE INTEND TO PLACE THE PLANE IN A MUSEUM ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL TO ENJOY AND TO CELEBRATE ITS HISTORY WITH LESSONS OF COMMUNITY SPIRIT AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

IN JULY OF 1997 THE AIRPLANE WAS PURCHASED BY THE YUMA JAYCEE FOUNDATION AND RETURNED TO YUMA. THE RESTORATION PROCESS BEGAN IMMEDIATELY WITH THE TALENTS OF MANY DEDICATED WORKERS AND THE PROCESS CONTINUED RIGHT UP UNTIL AND AFTER OCTOBER 10, 1999. THE SUPPORT OF THE YUMA COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTEERS HAS HELPED US TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF RESTORING THE AIRPLANE TO ITS UNIQUE 1949 APPEARANCE AND MAKING IT FLIGHT WORTHY. ON OCTOBER 8-10 OF 1999 WE CELEBRATED THE 50^th ANNIVERSARY OF THE HISTORICAL 1949 ENDURANCE FLIGHT AND LANDING. IT WAS A GREAT WEEKEND OF CELEBRATION STARTING FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE PARADISE CASINO WITH A FLY BY OF "CITY OF YUMA" PLANE AND AN ENTERTAINING SHOW OF RAT PACK THEME MUSIC.

ON SATURDAY MORNING WE HAD A FLY-IN AND BREAKFAST AT LARRY BOYD’S FARM IN DOME VALLEY. WE HAD APPROXIMATLY 12 VINTAGE AIRPLANES FLY IN WITH THE "CITY OF YUMA". AND, FOR FURTHER ENJOYMENT, WE HAD NUMEROUS VINTAGE AND ANTIQUE CARS ON DISLAY, INCLUDING THE 1948 BUICK SUPER CONVERTIBLE REFUELING CAR REPLICA OWNED BY GEORGE AND SHIRLEY MURDOCK. A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL AND THE WELLTON-MOHAWK KAWANIS PUT ON A GREAT BREAKFAST FOR THE MANY SUPPORTERS AND FANS.

AT NOON, THE VINTAGE AIRPLANES AND THE "CITY OF YUMA" PLANE FLEW TO THE SOMERTON AIRPORT FOR A GREAT LUNCHEON PROVIDED BY THE "CAMPESINOS SIN FRONTERAS."

THE "ARIZONA AIRPLAY PARACHUTE TEAM" PERFORMED JUMPS AT BOTH THE MORNING AND NOON EVENTS.

THAT EVENING WE TRAVELED TO BET-KO-AIR FOR A GREAT BBQ DINNER PUT ON BY THE YUMA JAYCEE’S AND JAYCEE FOUNDATION. WITH THE HELP OF THE WORTHEN FAMILY, JAYCEES, AND VOLUNTEERS, CHEF ELTON WORTHEN PUT OUT SOME GREAT BBQ. ALSO SUPPORTING THE EVENING WAS THE FOOTHILLS ROTARY AND CABALLERO’S DE YUMA MANNING THE BEVERAGE STATIONS. AND, FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT WE HAD THE CIBOLA HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ BAND AND A FUN EVENING WITH KYMA’S DAN MARRIES AND SHANNON STONE AS EMCEES

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10^TH, WAS THE GRAND FINALE OF THE 50^TH ANNIVERSARY AND COMMEMORATIVE CELEBRATIONS. JIM GILLASPIE FLEW THE PROUD "CITY OF YUMA" PLANE DOWN THE RUNWAY WHILE HORACE GRIFFEN CHASED IT WITH THE REFUELING CAR. BOB WOODHOUSE AND WOODY JONGEWARD THEN MADE THE FINAL LANDING OF THE DAY IN THE "CITY OF YUMA" AT 3:20 PM, 50 YEARS FROM THEIR HISTORIC LANDING IN 1949. THE EVENT WAS HOSTED BY BET-KO-AIR.

THE SUCCESS OF THE 50^th ANNIVERSARY AND COMMEMORATIVE WEEKEND COULD NOT OF BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITHOUT THE HELP FROM MANY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE CABALLERO’S DE YUMA, FOOTHILLS ROTARY, FORT YUMA ROTARY, WELLTON-MOHAWK KAWANIS, CAMPESINOS SIN FRONTERAS, AND MANY, MANY VOLUNTEERS. IT TRULY TOOK A SUPPORTED EFFORT BY MANY IN PUTTING ON THIS 50^th ANNIVERSARY.

SPECIAL THANKS TO CHAUNCY DUNSTAN AND DON ESKAM WHO TOOK ON THE CHALLANGE OF PARKING AND CONCESSIONS WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS.

YPG FOR THE USE OF THEIR AIRFIELD FOR THE REFUELING PRACTICE RUNS OF THE "CITY OF YUMA" AND REFUELING CAR.

DAREN GRIFFIN AND THE YUMA COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY WHO HELPED US ACQUIRE THE NECESSARY WAIVERS FROM FAA TO PERFORM THE REFUELING DEMONSTRATIONS.

MCAS YUMA’S AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL FACILITY WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE IN REGULATING AIRPORT TRAFFIC ON THE GROUND AND IN THE AIR WHICH ALLOWED US TO ACCOMPLISH THE "CITY OF YUMA" DEMO RUNS SAFELY. MCAS YUMA ALSO PROVIDED THE BARRIER FENCE AND PERSONNEL TO HELP SET IT UP. STATIC DISPLAY MILITARY AIRPLANES WERE PROVIDED FOR SPECTATORS TO SEE. AND A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO THE MARINE CORP BAND FROM MCAS MIRAMAR WHO FLEW IN TO PROVIDE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT FOR THAT "HOT" AFTERNOON.

FRANK KINGSTON SMITH AND HIS WIFE, LINDA, KEPT US ENTERTAINED FOR THE AFTERNOON AS OUR EMCEES.

CIVIL AIR PATROL CADETS #809 WHO HELPED PROVIDE ON GROUND SAFETY WITH THE PLANES AS WELL AS MANY, MANY HOURS OF SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROJECT.

THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION WHO PROVIDED MANY SERVICES INCLUDED AIR TO AIR AND GROUND SUPPORT. THEY ALSO ACTED AS THE HOSTING FAA ORANIZATION FOR SUNDAY’S EVENT.

THE YUMA CITY AND COUNTY AUXILARY COMMUNITION SERVICES PROVIDED OUR COMMUNICATION NEEDS FOR THE DAYS EVENTS AND HAD THE DIFFICULT JOB OF KEEPING UP WITH JUDY AND I.

CITY OF YUMA POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS FOR HELPING WITH TRAFFIC CONTROL AND SAFETY INCLUDING A FIRST AID CENTER.

AND, I COULD GO ON, AND ON. SO MANY PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS DESERVE OUR HEARTFELT THANKS. THE DAY AND WEEKEND CELEBRATIONS REPRESENT THE HEART OF THE 1949 "CITY OF YUMA" ENDURANCE FLIGHT…COMMUNITY SPIRIT AND THE COMING TOGETHER FOR THE FUTURE OF THE COMMUNITY.

MARCH 2^ND – MARCH 3^RD, 2000

WE HAD THE PRIVILEDGE OF ATTENDING THE CACTUS FLY-IN AND PROMOTE THE "City OF YUMA" ENDURANCE PLANE. THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE PLANE AND THE PROJECT. WE, ALSO, CAME HOME WITH HONORS: BEST AERONCA OF SHOW.

WE ARE HAVING A TOWN HALL MEETING TO EDUCATE THE YUMA COMMUNITY ON THE OPTIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY BEING CONSIDERED FOR THE FINAL LOCATION OF THE "CITY OF YUMA" ENDURANCE PLANE.

AMOUNG THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN INVITED TO MAKE THEIR PRESENTATIONS IS THE CITY OF YUMA, YUMA COUNTY AIRPORT, YUMA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, AND JOHN AND YVONNE PEACH OF THE YUMA LANDING RESTAURANT. WE ARE ENCOURAGING THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND AND PARTICIPATE IN THIS VERY IMPORTANT MEETING. WHILE NO DECISION ON A FINAL LOCATION WILL BE DECIDED DURING THIS SESSION, YOUR OPINIONS WILL STRONGLY INFLUENCE ANY FUTURE DECISIONS AND WE WELCOME, INDEED NEED, YOUR INPUT.

MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT WE HAVE EXPERIENCED SOME DIFICUTLY IN COMPLETING THE KYMA VIDEO. UNFORTUNATLY, THE COMMITTEE AND KYMA DID NOT ACQUIRE USABLE VIDEO OF THE OCTOBER 10, 1999 FLIGHT. WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO REMEDY THAT PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THERE WILL DEFINITELY BE A VIDEO PRODUCED AND AVAILABLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

THE "CITY OF YUMA" PLANE HAS BEEN CALLING BET-KO-AIR HOME SINCE THE 50^TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. THANKS MARTHA AND ELLIS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND GENEROSITY.

MANY THANKS FOR EVERYONE’S SUPPORT AND HELP!

KAPTAIN RON