American Yankee Association
2017 Convention
Paso Robles, CA. May 22-25, 2017
Welcome to AYA 2017 in Paso Robles, CA
Greetings from the West Coast. Your convention planning team has put together what we believe will be one of our finest get-togethers
ever. One of the great things about our AYA conventions is that they’re often held in parts of the country that you may not often get to. That
is the case this year. Although many of you may have visited California on one or more occasions, chances are that few of you have seen
the Paso Robles area. You are in for a treat. It is one of the most charming, friendly and memorable places you will ever visit. There is a
tremendous amount of planning and thought that goes into putting one of these events together and we sincerely hope that you will have
a great time while you’re here.
Where is Paso Robles, California?
Planning Team
Distances to Paso Robles
Stew and Karen Wilson
Convention Chairs
Members since 1981,
Attended 34 Conventions
Kim Muinch, AYA Region 6 Director
Tony Gaspar
Bill Stigile
Mindy Wilcox
Paso Robles, CA
Modesto, CA
La Mesa, CA
AA5B
AA5B
AA5
Boston
Washington
Tampa
Atlanta
Chicago
FAYETTEVILLE
Kansas City
Dallas
Denver
Seattle
Phoenix
Salt Lake City
San Francisco
2314
2050
1983
1781
1565
1283
1254
1178
796
711
446
510
144
Paso Robles Weather
Airport Information - PRB
• PRB is uncontrolled and is on the Los Angeles Sectional. There are 4
instrument approaches. The elevation is 839’.
• The FBO is ACI Jet and they are top notch in every way.
• All parking will be on hard surface, with our own ramp for activities.
• Tiedown fees are waived with a .50/gallon fuel discount.
• CTAF is 123.0 & ASOS is 120.125. Controlling FSS is Hawthorne 122.4.
The weather during May should be ideal for our
event with average highs near 80 and lows in the
mid to upper 40s. The average rainfall for May is
about one-third of an inch.
Proposed Schedule, AYA 2017, Subject to Revision
TIME
SUN, May 21
MON, May 22
TUE, May 23
WED, May 24
THU, May 25
6:00
Shuttle to AP
8:00
Board Meeting
Briefing-Air
Events
9:00
Registration
Flour Bomb/
Spot Landing
10:00
BriefingGround Events
11:00
Ground Events
10:30-12:00
12:00
Shuttle Begins
Box Lunch
at Tent
1:00
Registration
Aircraft
Inspection
2:00
Hands On
Demos
1:30 Seminars
Registration
4:00
Museum
5:00
Shuttle Ends
Banquet
Welcome
Dinner
7:00
First Timers
Reception
Member
Meeting 7:30
8:00
7:00 - 9:00
Ice Cream 8:30
9:00
Hearst Tour
Air Tour to CMA
3:00
6:00
FRI, May 26
Scholarship
Auction
Convention Hotel Reservations
Holiday Inn Express
2455 Riverside Avenue, Paso Robles, CA 93446
Phone: (805) 238-6500, Fax: (805) 238-0500
You Must Make Your Own Reservations
Our block of rooms is reserved from May 21-25. The rate is $117 plus tax. Higher rates may apply for earlier
arrivals or later departures. Be sure to mention AYA.
Alternate Hotel
At this time, we anticipate that the Holiday Inn Express will be able to meet our room needs. Should we need additional rooms,
we will use the La Quinta Hotel which is located between the airport and our main hotel. The Holiday Inn Express or your Convention
Chairs will be happy to assist you with any room problems you may encounter.
Transportation
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Our rental cars and vans will be provided by
Enterprise can have your car waiting at the airport for a fee.
There is plenty of parking at the airport near our planes.
Two 15 passenger vans will run continuously between the airport and the
hotel. It is about a ten minute trip. The vans will be delivered to the airport
and will be available when your aircraft arrives.
• Weekly rates are Compact, $269; Intermediate, $306; Standard, $329; Full
Size, $371 plus tax and fees.
• The number to call for reservations is (805) 239-0628. Punch #4 to get to
the local office. Be sure to mention AYA for these rates.
Early Preview of AYA ‘17
Although it may seem far in the future, our 2017 Convention in Paso Robles, California (May 22-25) is only a little more than 3 months
away. The following article will provide you with a preview of what to expect at the convention. Our first hint: locals refer to it as simply
“Paso”.
First, we are headquartered at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites. This facility recently completed a $2 million renovation and is essentially in new condition. Amenities include refrigerators, microwave ovens, large flat screen HD televisions, 24 hour coffee, hot cookies
each afternoon, high speed internet and indoor salt water pool. There will be complimentary beer/wine tasting each afternoon from 5 to 7.
For more info, go to www.hixpaso.com.
We have a block of rooms reserved for Sunday, May 21 through Thursday, May 25. The cost for a standard room is $117. If you plan on
arriving earlier or staying later, the cost will be higher.
You can now make your reservation by calling the hotel at 805-238-6500. Tell them you are with the American Yankee Association Block.
Rental Cars will be available through Enterprise. They will be delivered to the airport for a fee and will be available when your aircraft
arrives. Weekly rates are Compact, $269; Intermediate, $306; Standard, $329; Full Size, $371 plus tax and fees. The number to call for
reservations is 805-239-0628. Punch #4 to get to the local office.
In a departure from our usual Monday evening reception, we are planning a welcome dinner to be held at the warbird and car museum
on the field. The museum will open for tours at 3:00 and we will eat at 6:00, followed by our welcome and first-timers meetings. For more
info, see www.ewarbirds.org.
Tuesday will be a busy day. All of our ground and air contests will be held in the morning. Following a box lunch at the airport tent catered
by the Red Scooter Deli, we will have a time where everyone hangs around their aircraft. Not only will this provide an opportunity for
show and tell, but will be a good time to vote for your favorite plane.
The remainder of the afternoon will be available for activities of your choice, such as taking the air tour, going on some winery tours, ziplining, horseback riding, golf etc. Look for more detail on these activities in the next Star and on the web site.
Tuesday evening will consist of our General Membership meeting, Ice Cream Social and Scholarship Auction.
Wednesday is our day to catch the local scene. We will have a tour to nearby Hearst Castle with buses departing the hotel at around 8:00
and returning by 1:00. See www.hearstcastle.org.The rest of the day is open for you to choose any of the above-mentioned activities, or
others.
On our final day, we will have some hands-on demonstrations at the airport in the morning followed by seminars in the afternoon at the
hotel. Our banquet will be held at the Paso Robles Inn, a quaint old facility in downtown Paso Robles.
Please make your plans now to join us in May for a great time in Paso. You won’t regret it.
How Do I Get to Paso Robles?
The purpose of this article is to give some general recommendations on how to get to the site of our 2017 convention. If you would like
more specific information, please call the Convention Chairs at (530) 295- 7158.
DRIVING
In all likelihood, those people driving their cars to the convention will be travelling on the interstate highway system. The main east-west
routes into California are Interstate 80 in the north and Interstate 10 in the south. These both join up with Interstate 5 which runs from the
Canadian border in Washington to the Mexican border south of San Diego. Paso Robles is located on Highway 101 at the intersection of
State Highway 46. It is about 200 miles from both Los Angeles and San Francisco.
AIRLINES
The nearest airline airport to Paso Robles is San Luis Obispo, which is located 25 miles south. United Airlines offers 4 nonstop flights per
day from both Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO). If you decide to get a car at LAX or SFO, there are many sights to see along
the way. It is just over 200 miles and 4 hours from either location.
GRUMMAN
Long cross country flights are always a great adventure. I have made 12 of them from coast to coast and can offer several general tips.
1. In the west (generally west of the Missouri River), it is a good idea to start early and end early. We try to be at the motel by 1PM. In
the east, if the weather is good, go as long as you are comfortable.
2. Although somewhat counter-intuitive, drink lots of water during the flight. Dehydration headaches are a bear.
3. It is much more comfortable to cross the mountains north of Cheyenne or south of Albuquerque.
4. Don’t have a committed destination in mind. The only place you must end up is Paso Robles. The flexibility of no hard plan will allow for weather deviations and other unexpected events.
If you are coming from the Northeast or Upper Midwest, I would suggest heading south of Chicago to miss Lake Michigan, then head for
Cheyanne (CYS). From there, head to Rawlins (RWL) and Fort Bridger (FBR). Airports and people are sparse in this area so don’t expect
to see much. From there, across Nevada through Elko (EKO) and into California at Redding (RDD). From there, it is 301 miles south to
PRB.
If you are coming from the Southeast or Lower Midwest, the route is a little more direct. You could head to Jackson (JAN), then across
Texas through Wichita Falls (SPS). From there, it is 407 miles across to Albuquerque (ABQ) and then on to Flagstaff (FLG). The next leg
takes you across California’s high desert to Mojave (MHV). From there, it is only 127 more miles west to PRB.
The flying weather in mid-May should be good. The summer thunderstorm season has not yet fully developed, and the July-August monsoon in Arizona and New Mexico is nowhere to be seen. So fly safe, allow plenty of time, and plan the vacation of a lifetime.
AYA 2017 Volunteers Needed
Scholarship Fundraising
Our 2017 Convention in Paso Robles, CA is less than
four months away and preparations are in full swing so
that everyone is able to enjoy the experience. One of
the unique characteristics of our conventions is that they
are completely planned and run by volunteers. As many
of you know, one of the most rewarding experiences at
any convention is becoming involved in an event. There
is no better way to meet people and have fun at the site.
NEW THIS CONVENTION- Scholarship Calcutta, by Bill Daly
This year at the Paso Robles, California AYA Convention the Scholarship
Committee will introduce an exciting & new FUNdraising Event.
Are you confident that you, or someone you know is going to win an event such
as the Grumman Limbo, Precision Taxi, Flour Bombing, or Spot Landing? If
you have been to a convention in recent years you probably already have your
favorite handicapped to win an event. This year you will have the opportunity to
So, just like every year since 1976, we are looking for
put money on your favorite, or you might try to bid low on an unproven entrant
some volunteers to help make the convention a sucfor a bigger dollar return should they win. You can bid alone, or pool your
cess. Any help would be appreciated, but we specifically money together with friends to buy an entrant. However you choose to bid, it
need assistance with some of our contests such as Spot should be a lot of fun, provide some competitive excitement during the event,
Landing, Precision Taxi, and Rigged Preflight. We also
all while building the coffers of the Scholarship Fund. If your plane/pilot wins,
need someone to run the Swap Shop.
you will go home with a little extra cash in your wallet.
If you are willing and able to help out at AYA 2017,
So how does the Calcutta work? At the Monday Night welcome reception there
please call us at 530-295-7158 or email us at sec@aya. will be bidding boards listing the participants for each event. Throughout the
org.
night everyone will have the opportunity to bid on their favorite entrant. If you
win the bid and your entrant wins the event, you get half of the event bid pot
Stew and Karen Wilson
and the Scholarship Fund gets half. Its a win-win.
Hearst Castle
So come prepared for even more competitiveness and excitement at this year’s
events.
IN ADDITION…by Pat Metz
Doesn’t Bill’s idea sound like fun? I can see the bidding becoming hot and
heavy!
Those that are interested may bring something for the silent auction. It can be
a Regional Basket, or to mix it up at bit this year, if you would like to contribute
a ‘Seasonal Basket’ instead (Christmas, Halloween, Fall, Easter, etc.) please
feel free to just that! Of course we would accept individual items also.
On behalf of the Scholarship Committee, we appreciate the amazing support
from our members and sponsors, as either a contributor, purchaser or
volunteer for the scholarship fundraising events. See you in California!
AYA 2017
Each convention has its own unique flavor, often corresponding to its location. The 2017 convention is no different. In Paso Robles, we
will have the same great seminars, contests and camaraderie that mark all of our events. There will be some differences this year, however.
On a couple of occasions in the past, we have secured drivers from the community to drive our vans between the airport and the hotel.
We have again done that for AYA 2017. This will provide our attendees with more time to enjoy the convention. Each van will make two
round trips per hour, which will mean 15 minute service during peak hours of the convention.
We usually have a reception on opening night. This is our time to renew old friendships and review the upcoming events and activities.
This year, we have scheduled a dinner at the Estrella Warbird Museum for Monday Evening. You can tour the Museum beginning at 3:00
and it is open only to us.
Many of your favorite contests will be back, including the wildly popular Grumman Limbo. We will be introducing a new event this year –
the Wing Nut Toss. It promises to be a keeper.
We have never had an organized time to inspect aircraft and ask questions of the owner. Usually, people just wander around as the week
moves by. This year, after our box lunch at the Airport on Tuesday, we ask that everyone look at the planes, choose your People’s Choice
(and vote), and open your aircraft to talk about it with the wandering flock.
For at least the past 30 years, we have had an Ice Cream Social in the evening. We are making a slight exception this year. As it turns
out, one of the finest Gelato Companies is headquartered in Paso Robles, and they will be catering our event on Tuesday evening. We
are indeed fortunate – this should be a real treat.
Finally, on Thursday morning, we will have some hands-on training at the airport. This will be your chance to actually see some of the
things that will be covered later that day in the “Ask the Experts” Seminar.
We have tried to structure the Convention with minimum conflicts between events so that you can enjoy as many things as possible during your visit. See you in Paso!
The convention registration form is available here, as well as the March/April AYA Star. See you there.
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Activities
Estrella Warbird Museum (www.ewarbirds.org)
Wine Tasting Tours (www.hoponthewineline.com)
Flight to Catalina Island is 175nm
Pioneer Museum (www.pasoroblespioneermuseum.org)
Zip Line and Kayak Tours (www.margarita-adventures.com)
Horse Riding at Harris Ranch (www.harrisstagelines.com)
Southern CA attractions such as Disneyland, Hollywood etc.
Websites
Hearst Castle (www.hearstcastle.org)
Holiday Inn & Suites (www.holidayinn.com)
FBO ACI Jet (www.acijet.com)
Paso Robles Airport (www.prcity.com/government/departments/publicworks/airport)
“Fun Day” at AYA 2017
Who needs an excuse to come to Paso Robles, California (or “Paso” as the locals call their city)? I will give you one – Hearst Castle.
Once this Mediterranean-style country house was only accessible to celebrities and famous guests, but is now open for all to enjoy. This
site, The Enchanted Hill, as Mr. William Randolph Hearst called it, sits high above the scenic Pacific Coast Highway, and is one of the
world’s greatest historic house museums.
On Wednesday we will leave the hotel in the morning and travel by motor coach to Hearst Castle where we will enjoy a “Grand Rooms
Tour” seeing the Assembly Room, Refectory, Morning Room, Billiard Room and Theater. This tour is the most popular of the various
tours available. The rest of the tour is self-guided. You can stroll at your leisure through the Castle grounds and admire the Neptune
Pool and Roman pool.
The Visitor Center of Hearst Castle offers a Café, Coffee Bar, and Grab N’ Go with indoor or outdoor patio seating. There are museum
exhibits and the Castle Theater too, to complete your experience. The theater has a 45 minute movie that you might be able to catch.
Oh, and of course, a gift and museum shop for all of you souvenir aficionados.
We plan to leave the grounds at noon and be back by 1:00 p.m. in time for you to choose your own dining lunch experience somewhere in
Paso.
Space is limited to 91, so make your reservation with us as soon as you can. You don’t want to miss out on a fun, scenic excursion in
California.