Our next meeting will be Wednesday, November 16th at the Stockton Field Aviation Museum, 7432 C.E. Dixon St. Stockton Metro Airport, 7 PM.
Our next speaker will be NASA SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) 747 Flight Engineer Christopher Farinha. Chris was born and raised in Auburn California, where he started in aviation restoring Warbirds. He started his airline career in 1985 flying the Lockheed Electra, L-188. Chris has flown the civilian model of the Hercules the L-382 as well as the DC-8 for Southern AirTransport. He finished his civilian career at Evergreen International Airlines flying the B-747. Chris has been with SOFIA since January 2014. He also flies the GE flying testbed 747, which tests the next generation of jet engines. So, come on out and bring a friend!
SOFIA is the largest airborne observatory in the world, capable of making observations that are impossible for even the largest and highest ground-based telescopes. During its planned 20-year lifetime, SOFIA also will inspire the development of new scientific instrumentation and foster the education of young scientists and engineers.
SOFIA is an 80/20 partnership of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), consisting of an extensively modified Boeing 747SP aircraft carrying a reflecting telescope with an effective diameter of 2.5 meters (100 inches).
The observatory is based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California. NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, manages SOFIA’s science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association (USRA; Columbia, Md.) and the German SOFIA Institute (DSI; University of Stuttgart).
IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN! 2017 dues are due. Your $12.00 Warbird dues also get you membership in the Stockton Field Aviation Museum! With many activities coming up in the new year!
WW II Warbird Group: President, Ken Terpstra (209-838-8680); Treasurer, Ed Ashcraft (209-772-1890); The WW II Warbird Group meets five times a year March, May, July, September, and November on the third Wednesday of the month at the Stockton Field Aviation Museum, 7432 C.E. Dixon St. Stockton Metro Airport. Each meeting features a speaker who flew in any of the military services during our nation’s conflicts, WWII to present. Visitors are always welcome. Membership is open to anyone interested regardless of military service, age, or gender. Dues are $12 per year and include mailed newsletters. Send application to Stockton Field Aviation Museum, 7432 C. E. Dixon Street, Stockton, CA, 95206.