Aviation Advisory Committee To Honor Virginia Schaefer

     The Aviation Advisory Committee (AAC) for the County Airports will be putting an order before the Board of Supervisors on December 16, 2003, to recognize the retirement of Virginia Schaefer from the Committee .
     Virginia Schaefer was a member of the AAC for more than 20 years.  She began as the representative for District IV and ended her term as the Airport Land Use Commission representative to the AAC.  Ms. Schaefer served as Chairperson of the Committee for the majority of her term. 

     Ms. Schaefer is a long-standing member of the Ninety-Nines, an organization that was founded in 1929 by 99 licensed women pilots for the mutual support and advancement of women in aviation.
     The Aviation Advisory Committee and County Airports staff wants to recognize Virginia's efforts to keep Buchanan Field and Byron Airports valuable assets for the County, the community, and to the aviation community at large.

Byron Master Plan Beginning

     The Byron Airport Master Plan is being developed in two phases and Leigh Fisher Associates has been contracted to complete both phases.  Phase I, the Byron Airport Air Cargo Feasibility and Roles Assessment was completed in October.  In brief, the final report concluded that creating an air cargo hub at Byron Airport is a long-term possibility dependent upon population growth, economic development and infrastructure improvements developing in the broader East Contra Costa County region.
     Phase II of the Master Plan is now commencing and will likely take nine to twelve months to complete.  The Master Plan proc

ess will assess and determine existing and future facility needs to accommodate both aviation and non-aviation activities at Byron Airport.  The process will also include developing a business plan to assist facilitating development on and around the airport within County-owned property.  The Master Plan is intended to provide the blueprint for long-range aviation, aviation-related, and industrial development at the airport.
     Public participation is a critical element of the master plan process, especially to achieve long-term regional development and
infrastructure improvements necessary to
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Remembering The Wright Brothers    http://www.centennialofflight.gov/user/Media_Kit_03.htm

     On December 17, 1903, at 10:35 a.m., the world's first successful powered aircraft lifted off the beach at the Outer Banks, North Carolina for a 12-second, 120-foot journey. A new industry was born, and a new way of life followed closely behind.
     Driven by two brothers unwavering in their task, that flight accomplished what people had only imagined since the beginning of time. Realizing this dream took more than wings, wheels and a motor.  It took the spirit of adventure, the tenacity brought on by risk and failure, and the desire to achieve

a freedom which humans had never before experienced.
     No invention has made such an indelible imprint on our world as the airplane. In 2003, the national celebration Centennial of Flight: Born of Dreams - Inspired by Freedom will commemorate the world's rich history of aviation accomplishments through events, symposiums, air shows, special programming, exhibits, tours, educational outreach and more throughout the country.   Visit the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission at  www.centennialofflight.gov