Saginaw Wings www.saginawwings.com

Hello everyone, next year, 2010, has been chosen to be the “Old Timers Swift Fly-in”. It is extremely important to have as many of the past and present members in attendance as well as the airplanes themselves. The success of this fly-in depends on you, the members, locating as many of the past members as you can and encouraging them to attend this event. As much as it depends on your assistance in locating and notifying past members, it is also dependant on proper planning.

Throughout the rest of this year and the first 5 months of next year, you are going to be introduced to “The 12 Easy Steps to a Successful 2010 National Swift Fly-in”. It is very important that you plan for this event, well in advance, in order for it to be the success it will be.

I am going to touch on the first 3 steps at this time. It is the lack of planning ahead for these 3 steps that has kept many members from attending past Nationals.

Step #1.

Budget For Your Expenses – Calculate the estimated expenses you will incur to get yourself and you’re Swift (if you have one and if it’s flyable) to the fly-in. Expenses such as: fuel, meals, lodging, ground transportation (if you require a rent-a-car) and the getting back home.expenses as well. Total up those expenses and divide it by 12. That figure is what you need to be putting away each month for the next 12 months so you can financially attend the 2010 National Swift Fly-in. It’s much easier to put $100.00 (example) away each month than it is to come up with $1,200.00 at the last minute.

Step #2.

Mark Your Calendar – Locate the primary calendar you have been using this year and find a calendar for 2010. Get yourself 12 brightly colored Post-It notes or something similar and hand write on each one of those Post-It notes:

If you are using calendars with individual pages for each month, put one Post-It note on each page of those two calendars up to May 2010.

Step #3.

Schedule The Time – Wither you are working or retired, it is important to schedule the time off from work or keep from scheduling things that will interfere from you being in attendance. I have heard every excuse in the book for not attending. Granted, some are valid reasons, but keeping the week before, the week of and the week after the fly-in dates open now, will help insure that there will be nothing that creates a conflict with you being able to attend, what could be one of the biggest Nationals in the history of the Swift Museum Foundation.

Look for more of “The 12 Easy Steps to a Successful 2010 National Swift Fly-in” in next month’s newsletter and on Facebook.