22 November 3 - 16, 2007
Community
www.SanTanSun.com
Aero club from Page 1
an offi cial organization with structure, bylaws and regular Though his 35-year fl ying career ended in 1998 after reservist from 1955 to 1959, Staff Sgt. Doria enjoyed fl ights
meetings. logging about 2,000 fl ight hours, at age 93 he still fl ies to Morocco, Spain and Portugal with fellow offi cers. He,
as co-pilot on SLAC fl y-ins and fi eldtrips, manages the like another of the four original SLAC members, Elton
CEO with a love of fl ying
club’s website and prepares the monthly updates. Dyal, is a member of the Commemorative Air Force. The
Nelson’s passion for fl ying likely began from youthful
Nelson, who has been married to wife Sylvia for CAF strives to preserve World War II airplanes, and the 10
observations, he says.
nearly 60 years, enjoys the camaraderie of the club and CAF crew members sometimes relieve the co-pilot for an
“I have always been intrigued with fl ying,” says the
encourages others to join. hour each on long fl ights.
Idaho native whose family moved to California when he
“SLAC is a social club devoted to those interested in Doria, whose lithography career spans 37 years, says
was 1. “I watched gliders fl ying on the sand dunes in west
aviation and related fi elds. It is an interesting club and his favorite SLAC fl y-in was a trip to Chino, CA.
San Francisco.”
should appeal to anyone interested,” he concludes. “I loved that because there are a lot of old World War II
In the 1960s, both Nelson’s career and his avionics
planes and a lot of Air Force history.”
experience ascended to greater heights. Love of fl ight takes off early
Another highlight for Doria is the club’s guest speakers,
Building on earlier career experience as chief Doria, now 77, who served as SLAC’s second president
which have included colonels who fl ew in Vietnam and
accountant at the Simmons Company and co-partner and fi rst vice president, became a fl ying enthusiast when
Korea, a World War II prisoner of war, an Air Force pilot
at Norman Spear & Company in the 1940s and 1950s, he he went on his fi rst fl ight at age 7. He was at the airport
who bailed out of a plane at near-supersonic speed,
took a job as an offi cer in Colonial Savings in 1960 and one day when a stranger who had recently purchased a
members of the Thunderbirds and a pilot who had fl own
rose to the offi ce of president/CEO by 1970. plane asked him if he wanted to go for a ride.
the SR71, which he describes as “the fastest plane that
Meanwhile, he started fl ight lessons in California “At that time, planes were kind of novel and people
was ever built outside the space shuttle.”
in 1963, soloing in February 1964. Nine months later, used to watch them take off and land,” he says.
The Sun Lakes Aero Club meets every third Wednesday
he received his private Single Engine Land (SEL) fl ying He told the stranger yes.
of the month from October through May at the Sun Lakes
license, followed by a seaplane ticket in 1966. “So we went in the airplane and my mother came back
Country Club’s Arts & Crafts room. For more information,
In 1976, Nelson moved to Phoenix as Southwest Savings and said, ‘Where’s Sam?’ My grandfather pointed to the
go to
www.sunlakesaeroclub.org or call President Bob
and Loan Association’s CEO. Because the job involved airplane and said, ‘He’s up there.’”
Walch at 480-895-8869.
travel, he came up with an avionics-related plan. Accordingly, she was upset with him when the plane
“I purchased the Beech Sierra in Phoenix to fl y to the landed.
Sharon Schnakenburg is a freelance reporter who can be
various branch sites throughout the state of Arizona,” he “She was afraid of airplanes.”
reached at
Sharon@SanTanSun.com.
says. An active Air Force member from 1951 to 1955 and
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