The August 2010 Issue of "The Swash Plate, Volume 5, Issue 8

•“HeroicActsRecognized” •“AirMedalsforValorAwarded” KyleFord•“ProjectFirefly” SikorskyAircraft•“CH‐47CrewsSupportIraq

Drawdown” SPCRolandHale•“NewOrleansUpdate” JayBrownandmuchmuchmore!

Presenting!

Continued on page 2

Hello y'all, Just a quick note to bring everyone up to speed on what's going on these days. Most importantly we have officially passed the deadline for those of you who still want to procure rooms at the St. Christopher Hotel for the CHPA Annual Meeting. Of course you can hopefully still make reservations, but it is a home weekend for the Saints, so availability could be limited. In that case there would be no guarantee that you would be located near the rest of us, and let’s face it ... that’s where we keep the liquor. haha! (The “W” hotel reportedly still has room availability.) **Be sure to register on the CHPA website to attend the meeting!** I really hope that you will consider gathering with us in New Orleans — This is one meeting you want to be sure to attend! The dates are September 24th – 26th. Just about a month out! We are honored to have an outstanding guest speaker, CHPA lifetime member, MG Dick Stephenson (Ret.) who will be addressing our guests on Friday night at the renowned Mulate’s Restaurant. As usual we will gather for brunch on Saturday morning and conduct our official business at that time. We will announce the location of the next reunion, and unveil some exciting news about things in the works for CHPA. We are planning on having cocktails at Pat O’Briens in the French Quarter on Saturday evening (invite a friend!), but the rest of the night is yours to explore this fascinating city!! One highlight of particular mention is a sailing excursion on Lake Pontchartrain, which I am very excited about! Rusty and Lynn Bourgoyne are bringing their sailboats over to the South Shore for the occasion. I fly over Lake Pontchartrain all the time so I am really jazzed about getting to check it out up close! I did some homework on it and you can find this information later on in The Swash. Those of you who want to do some tours together, please shoot me an email and I will help coordinate. I like to arrive early so I have extra time to explore all the good stuff. Feel free to join us for the pre-party festivities! There are many of you we have not met and I promise you it will be more fun than you can handle in one weekend! Don’t be shy! Most of our attendees are “repeat attenders.” (haha!)

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AnnualMeeting•September24th–26th•NewOrleans

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Volume 5, Issue 8 chpa-us.org Combat Helicopter Pilots Association • The Swash Plate

I made it back from Haiti last week and it was a fun-filled trip. I have included some pictures by request from Founding CHPA President, Steve Reilly. I hope you like them! I also have requested permission to share pictures from Curt Emerich, of the Montana National Guard. The flying was great, the accommodations were certainly as good as they

could be under the circumstances, and the company was the best. I really enjoyed the trip, which I have come to refer to as my "Haitian Vacation" and now I am back to flying oil spill missions, and occasionally hanging out at my home on the fantastic Toledo Bend when I get a chance for a little downtime. It will soon be time to gather addresses for our Holiday Boxes for the Troops program, so if you know of any deployed aviators or crew members, please shoot us an email with that data! I would really like to find someone who is good at making videos to make a simple promotional video for CHPA. Maybe something touching and cool that would go viral and get the word out about

some of the projects we work on! Anyone interested? I hope you all will keep CHPA member, Walker Jones in your thoughts. He suffered a heart attack recently and thankfully he is now home and on the mend. If you would like his address to send a get-well card, drop me a line and I’ll pass his address to you. Special thanks to CHPA member, James Kurtz, who gave us a swift head’s up, and Legacy member Julie Kink who brought us up to speed on his condition! Walker, if you are reading this, I sure hope you are well enough to

continue with your plans to meet us in New Orleans!!! It has been too long buddy! Best wishes for a speedy recovery! Okay ... that’s it for another month. I very much look forward to seeing you all in New Orleans!!! Duty • Honor • Courage Lori G.

Special thanks to StevenKoch for retouching myphotos. Steven is aninternational photographerbased in the Seattle, WAarea.Heisalsoapilotandis currently working onCommercial/Instrument/Instructorratings.

FOB Mandarin in Northern Haiti … our relief arrives!

The sun sets on the Port-Au-Prince airport — our island home.

FOB Mandarin in Northern Haiti … notice the crazy cacti!

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Ronald Markiewicz, a veteran of the Vietnam War finally received two distinguished medals after a 39-year wait. “I am exceptionally happy. And I really feel vindicated,” said Ronald Markiewicz. With family and friends watching, Woodbridge, VA resident and former Army Lieutenant Ronald Markiewicz was presented with the Distinguished Flying Cross and Silver Star medals. The two prestigious medals were awarded for two extraordinary missions. In 1971, then Lieutenant Markiewicz was serving near the border of Laos. In March, he flew two missions within just days of each other in which his helicopter was hit with anti-aircraft fire. He was wounded both times. Despite his own injuries, Markiewicz was able to land his helicopter and carry wounded American and Vietnamese

servicemen to safety. Markiewicz said, “I didn’t care if they were Americans, Vietnamese or Africans. It didn’t matter. You learned that a person is a person. We all bleed red.” The delay in honoring Markiewicz’s for his acts of bravery was caused by an unfortunate series of events, including a hurricane at his base and a fire at a military records facility. For years fellow veterans petitioned to have Markiewicz honored. Finally, word came that he’d be recognized. His wife, Emily Markiewicz shared, “He called me and he was crying. In his heart, he had the recognition of it. But he’s so proud of his service to the Army.” Retired LTC John Jenkins said, “I’m really proud to see him get

recognized for his heroism on the battle field. I think it just speaks volumes of the quality of soldiers we had in the Vietnam conflict.” Thirty nine years later, the Lieutenant finally has the recognition he deserves. Markiewicz said, “I joke — I will no longer have to say ‘I was put in for a Silver Star and Flying Cross.’ Now, I can actually say that it came about.”

Give Back! Do you have a special skill or ability that you could share with CHPA? We are always on the lookout formembers who are interested in pitching in here and there or lending a hand on special committees.Photographers,editors,organizers,networkers,computerorweb‐savvyindividualsarejustafewofthepeoplewearelookingtotapfor“specialmissions!”

Drop us a line at admin@chpa‐us.org if you are interested in getting involvedwith CHPA projects! We arelookingforwardtohearingfromyou!

[GetInvolved!]

HeroicActsRecognized

Ronald Markiewicz shows the Silver Star medal he received, along with a Distinguished Flying Cross, 39 years after his heroic feats in Vietnam.

Distinguished Flying Cross and Silver Star awarded to Ronald Markiewicz.

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COL Stephen Smith, DES Director, pins the Air Medal with “V” device on CW5 Howard Swan, DES directorate standardization instructor, and SFC Andrew Quen, DES Medical standardization instructor, July 29th. Photo credit Kyle Ford

up was that the 82nd CAB had planned on Swan and Quen taking the wounded soldier to Kandahar, said Smith.

“They only had one aircraft on station up there, so if we left we would have been out of the net for a good hour and half to two hours,” Quen said, adding that the crew dropped the wounded soldier off at Tarin Kowt instead. “We ended up staying so we could maintain the cover down on that operation. Not even 20 minutes later, we got the call for a second 9-Line (medevac request). They said the same spot and I knew in my mind it was bad.”

Enroute, the crew learned from low-level voice intercept traffic that the Afghan insurgents were planning to ambush the incoming medevac aircraft, said Smith.

Swan checked with the crew to make sure there were no reservations before going into a known ambush.

“I first asked the members of my crew if they

said. “You can’t do it by sitting at a Tactical Operations Control Center, you can’t do it by looking at a map, and you can’t do it over a video teleconference or teleconference. You have to go live it.”

Living it is exactly what Swan and Quen were doing with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade at Tarin Kowt in Southern Afghanistan when they were called to medevac an Afghan commando who had encountered an improvised explosive device.

When they got to the area, Swan and Quen realized the landing zone picked out for the mission wasn’t suitable, and played a key role in picking an alternate one.

While Swan sat on the

ground waiting in the LZ, Quen and the 82nd CAB medic jumped out of the UH-60 Black Hawk and crossed 75 meters of open ground under fire to pick up the wounded soldier and bring him back to the aircraft, said Smith.

What is not in the write-

“We don’t go downrange looking for any kind of notoriety,” said the Directorate of Evaluation and Standardization director before pinning the Air Medal with “V” device for valorous achievement on two of his soldiers, July 29th at the unit’s conference room.

COL Stephen Smith presented the awards to CW5 Howard Swan, DES Directorate Standardization Instructor, and SFC Andrew Quen, DES Medical Standardization Instructor, who assisted in saving the lives of three coalition soldiers while under fire from small arms and rocket propelled grenades during two medical evacuation missions October 8th, 2009.

DES soldiers go downrange for three reasons, according to Smith. First, to help units fight complacency; second, to share new tactics,

techniques, or procedures with downrange units; and finally, to learn from the unit and bring those lessons back to the next units preparing to deploy.

“The only way you can gather those lessons and take them back to the next units that are deploying is if you go and do what the units do,” Smith

AirMedalsforValorAwardedKyleFord

“Not even 20 minutes later, we got the call for a second medevac request. I knew in my mind it was bad.”

Continued on Page 5

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One of the people most proud of Swan and Quen is their commander.

“Meanwhile, as kind of a proud papa at Tarin Kowt, I’m hearing about all this,” said Smith. “I’m at the TOCC and my heart is about ready to give out … knowing this is all going on and waiting for these two guys because we’re supposed to get on a helicopter to go back to Kandahar so we can out brief the brigade and go home.

“Meanwhile, they’re off having fun, doing all this other stuff on their ‘vacation’ to Afghanistan,” he said. I’m very proud of (Swan and Quen) and the 82nd (CAB) for submitting them for this award.”

Things like this are going on every day in Afghanistan right now,” Smith said. The DES people just happened to be there that day. “It’s just a testament to the great soldiers that we’ve got out there doing the mission.”

understood the intelligence. They acknowledged and said, ‘drive on,’” Swan said. “I then asked our cover ship over the radio if everyone in her crew understood, and again, without hesitation, all understood and said drive on. Rather than worry about our potential problems, we all began to think through the best tactical strategy for success and put our plan into motion.

“When we made it into our selected extraction point on the second attempt, and despite rounds hitting around us and the LZ security force decisively engaged with covering fire from above and us in an unarmed medevac bird and unable to provide direct support, the medics never even hesitated or looked around – (they) just ran straight to the wounded, did exactly what was required of them and got the patient on-board in a quick but caring fashion,” said Swan.

“We got them both on

board by the time we got the rounds going off,” Quen said. “At that time, the walking wounded (Special Forces) guy

grabbed me and says, “They’re shooting at us,’ and that they’re taking RPGs, and then ‘Let’s get the hell out of here.’ I said, ‘Roger that.’” Then Swan flew the aircraft back to Tarin Kowt and dropped the patients off.

Both the soldiers said receiving this award was one of the proudest moments in their careers. However, both also said they had more pride in having completed a job and saving lives.

Submit Your Photos!

CHPAhasagrowingcollectionofphotosreflectingthespectrumof

ourcombatlegacy

Ifyouwouldliketocontributetothecollectionpleasevisitchpa‐us.orgtoupload!

HowardSwanisalifetimememberofCHPA.HerecentlyretiredfromtheArmyafterserving28years.BestwishestoHowardonhisnewciviliancareer!

“Swan checked with the crew to make sure there were no reservations before going into a known ambush.”

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The following photos are from theHaiti relief effort, Operation “KoutMen” (Helping Hands) and arecourtesyofCurtEmerich.

Curt is a CH‐47 crewmember,whois full‐time Electrical and Avionicssupport with B Company, 1‐189thAviation in the Montana NationalGuard. Curt’sUnitwasdeployedtoHaiti this summerwithmembersofthe Nevada National Guard. CurthailsfromBozeman,MT.

Scenes from around Haiti: (Captions clockwise from top right), They promised me a weapon but gave me a 9mm instead! The Citadelle, built1805-1820 to stave off the French, who never returned. One of the many tent cities. Riverborne sediment stains the pretty blue of the Caribbean. Curt surfing the ramp.

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Sikorsky Innovations, the technology development organization of Sikorsky Aircraft, announced from the Farnborough International Air Show that it has developed an all-electric helicopter technology demonstrator. Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).

The Firefly Technology Demonstration Aircraft was unveiled on July 26th at the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) AirVenture exhibition in Oshkosh, WI as part of the world symposium on electric aircraft. The demonstrator will be one of the main attractions in the Aviation Learning Center along with other state-of-the-art commercially available and prototype electric aircraft.

“Our objectives with Project Firefly are to provide a proof of principle concept to validate the benefits of an electrically powered rotorcraft; to develop the technologies to enable the manned flight of that technology, and to drive future development of improved, state-of-the-art ‘green’ technologies and practices,” said Chris Van Buiten, Director of Sikorsky Innovations.

In building the demonstrator, the Innovations team replaced the legacy propulsion system of an S-300CTM helicopter with a high-efficiency, electric motor and digital controller from U.S. Hybrid, coupled with a lithium

ion energy storage system from Gaia. Integrated sensors provide real-time aircraft health information to the pilot through a panel integrated interactive LCD monitor. Eagle Aviation Technologies, LLC, executed the custom airframe modifications and assembly of the demonstrator aircraft.

“World fuel reserves are continuing to dwindle as demand increases. This inversion of the supply/demand

cycle will increase operating costs of all fuel-based vehicles, especially in the aviation industry. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the commercial helicopter market, where the critical role rotorcraft play could be threatened by spiraling fuel costs,” said Mark Miller, Vice President, Sikorsky Research and Engineering.

“Many of the most significant advancements in aviation have been enabled by transformations in propulsion technology. It is exciting to be at the forefront of the

exploration of electric propulsion technology for rotorcraft,” said Miller. “Through the electrical conversion, propulsion efficiency of the aircraft has been increased roughly 300 percent from baseline. Electric propulsion also inherently simplifies the complexity of the propulsion system by reducing the quantity of moving parts, increasing reliability while reducing direct operating costs.”

The demonstrator will feature a 200 horsepower electric motor, a motor controller, a battery system, and cockpit controls. First flight is anticipated later this year, upon completion of ground tests and safety of flight reviews in accordance with Sikorsky standard practice for all aircraft programs.

“With current energy storage technology, payload and endurance will fall short of typical helicopter performance. These values will grow as rapidly maturing technology is integrated on the demonstrator,” Miller added.

SikorskyIntroduces“ProjectFirefly”ElectricHelicopterDemonstrator

Continued on Page 8

“It is exciting to be at the forefront of the exploration of electric propulsion technology for rotorcraft.”

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Features of the “Firefly” include: • All-electric drive system • Safe and efficient high-density energy storage system • Automated monitoring and alert technologies • Next generation cockpit displays

Sikorsky Innovations is an agile, networked group of Sikorsky employees and industry teammates dedicated to demonstrating innovative technology solutions to the toughest problems in vertical flight. Sikorsky Innovations is pursuing a broad range of advanced technologies, including the X2 Technology™ demonstrator, aware and adaptive aircraft systems, and optionally piloted aircraft.

The mission of Sikorsky Innovations is to develop and mature the technologies, products and processes that will redefine the future of vertical flight. The organization builds on Sikorsky’s nearly 90 years of innovation and will increase the scope of previous efforts by expanding collaborative arrangements spanning government technology agencies, academic institutions, other UTC facilities, and entrepreneurial businesses where research and product development will take place in cooperation with Sikorsky’s engineers and technicians.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, CT, USA, is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, CT, USA, provides a broad range of high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.

We hope you enjoy your newsletter! We work to find articles of interest for our very diverse membership ranging from human interest to humor, and wonderful war stories of helicopter pilots and crewmembers’ and their “daring do.” Our most entertaining and informative stories come from you, our membership. If you have an idea for an article, or if you have an article you’d like to submit, it’s as easy as emailing us. The story can be about anything from flight school to real life, TINS, or there-I-was stories. We’ve published several stories over the years ranging from tales of flight school a long, long time ago to real life “war stories” that we’re sure most of you can identify with.

We look forward to hearing from you so, take a moment to lay fingers on keyboard or just put pen to paper and send in those stories. You can email them to [email protected] or through the U.S. Post Office to:

CHPA • PO Box 15852 • Washington, DC 20003

The Swash! [CallForArticles]

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Set to play a key-role in the reduction of US forces in Iraq this summer, an all-in-one aviation unit from Fort Riley, KS arrived in country this March; one of the US Army’s last active-duty aviation battalions to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. As the Army draws down in Iraq, aviators with the 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment are attacking this logistical monster head-on. Three hours before take-off, July 7th, one of the battalion’s crews gathered to prepare their aircraft for a night of work. For many of the crew it was their seventh mission that week — typical, as in just four months the unit has moved more than one million pounds of cargo. On this mission they would contribute 17,000 pounds to that total. Their ride, the Chinook, is a work-horse; the largest and fastest in the Army’s arsenal capable of carrying tons of cargo, 33 troops or 24 medical litters. In addition to two pilots, the massive helicopter has a crew of three enlisted crewchiefs, whose duties range from securing cargo to directing the pilots through precision maneuvers. After a briefing and a check of the aircraft’s systems, the crew set out for their first

stop of the night. Under the cover of darkness, the crew took the bird to several stops around Baghdad, shuttling passengers and equipment between bases. The crew welcomed the cooled night air, as the aircraft often serves as an unintentional sauna during the mid-day Iraqi heat. “Ninety-percent of the time we’re like a bus flying around Baghdad,” said SPC Shad Cabe, a Chinook crewchief on the flight, “but sometimes it can get exciting.” While security here has vastly improved, the soldiers remember a much more violent time in Iraq — when air assaults

were nearly as common as supply runs and every

“mission complete” felt like an

answered prayer. But now, Cabe said, the Chinooks are making their living with heavy lifting. The Chinook uses three hooks on its fuselage to carry cargo, or sling-loads. On this night, Cabe guided the pilots to a hover above a 17,000 pound

armored-truck, which ground crews attached to two of the Chinook’s hooks as Cabe monitored the load through a hatch in the aircraft’s floor. The Chinook flew naturally with the added weight, but when the load swayed beneath it, the oscillations felt like a tug-of-war between the aircraft’s twin engines and the truck. The pilot’s calculations indicated their load pushed the aircraft to within a thousand pounds of its maximum weight. Also special to the mission was the presence of CSM Jim Thomson, the senior non-commissioned officer of the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. Even though his senior position entails primarily administrative

CH‐47CrewsSupportIraqDrawdownSPCRolandHale

Continued on Page 10

CSM Jim Thomson, senior non-commissioned officer of the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, performs a pre-flight check on a U.S. Army Chinook helicopter prior to a cargo-moving mission from Taji Army Airfield, Iraq, July 7th. U.S. Army photo by SPC Roland Hale

“Every ‘mission complete’ felt like an answered prayer.”

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All but one of the crew onboard had flown with Thomson at least once before. “With the

responsible drawdown of forces in Iraq and a limited number of aviation assets available, these guys are flying day-in and day-out,”

said Thomson. “It’s not how many times or how many missions they fly, but rather the contribution they’re making by moving people around.” The Army is scheduled to reduce the number of troops serving in Iraq from 82,000 to 50,000 by September 1st.

work, Thomson has crewed about a dozen missions this deployment, he said. Thomson added that at a senior level it’s easy to forget what the troops are doing daily. Crewing flights is the best way to keep in touch with their experiences and needs, he said.

A U.S. Army Chinook helicopter with the 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, performs a hover test before departing on a cargo-moving mission from Taji Army Airfield, Iraq, July 7th. U.S. Army photo by SPC. Roland Hale

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Give the St. ChristopherHotel a callat 800.645.9312 for your lodgingneeds.

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SailingonFamousLakePontchartrain

Continued on Page 12

And by-and-bye we reached the West End, a collection of hotels of the usual light summer-resort pattern, with broad verandas all around, and the waves of the wide and blue Lake Pontchartrain lapping the thresholds.

Thousands of people come by rail and carriage to West End and to Spanish Fort every evening, and dine, listen to the bands, take strolls in the open air under the electric lights, go sailing on the lake, and entertain themselves in various and sundry other ways. —Mark Twain, “Life on the Mississippi”

An invitation to sail on

Lake Pontchartrain awaits the 2010 attendees of the Annual Meeting of the Combat Helicopter Pilots Association. CHPA board member, Rusty Bourgoyne and his wife Lynn,

have generously offered to bring his sailboats over to the South Shore, so that we can go sailing

on the famed lake on Sunday, September 26th.

Sailing on Lake Pontchartrain is a pastime that has been enjoyed for hundreds of years. Native Americans were

the first residents to explore the lake region.

Several different tribes lived around the lake basin. Discarded clam shells, also known as middens, are the relicts of their villages.

Okwa-ta, meaning wide

water, is the name the Choctaws

gave the lake. Other tribes in the vicinity known to have resided there were the Bayougoula, Mougoulacha, Chitimacha, Oumas, Tangipahoa, Colapissa, and Quinipissa.

In 1699, a French explorer, Pierre LeMoyne Sieur d’Iberville, discovered Lake Pontchartrain, which he named after the French Minister of Marine. They also named the nearby Lake Maurapas. In the years to follow many ports flourished on Lake Pontchartrain’s shores. Sailboats carried cargo and people between the Gulf of Mexico and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin ports. Commerce grew rapidly on the south and north shores, with

Sailboats at West End — 1910’s. Sailing has been a fond pasttime of many on Lake Pontchartrain through the years.

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Lake Pontchartrain

Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located insoutheasternLouisiana. It isthesecond‐largestsaltwater lake intheUSaftertheGreatSaltLakeinUtah,andthelargestlakeinLouisiana.Itcoversanareaof630squaremileswithanaveragedepthof12to14feet.Someshippingchannelsarekeptdeeperthroughdredging.Itisroughlyovalinshape,about40mileswideand24milesfromsouthtonorth.Indescendingorderofarea,thelakeislocatedinpartsofSt.Tammany, Orleans, Jefferson, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles andTangipahoaparishes.

Lake Pontchartrain is named for Louis Phélypeaux, comtedePontchartrain, the French Minister of the Marine, Chancellor ofFranceandController‐GeneralofFinancesduringthereignofFrance’s“SunKing,”LouisXIV,forwhomLouisianaisnamed.

Thelakewascreated2,600to4,000yearsagoastheevolvingMississippi River Delta formed its southern and eastern shorelineswith alluvial deposits. Lake Pontchartrain is not a true lake but anestuary connected to the Gulf ofMexico via the Rigolets strait andChef Menteur Pass into Lake Borgne, another large lagoon andtherefore the lake experiences small tidal changes. Salinity variesfromnegligibleatthenortherncuspwestofMandevilleuptonearlyhalf the salinity of seawater at its eastern bulge near Interstate 10.Lake Maurepas, a true fresh water lake, connects with LakePontchartrain on the west via Pass Manchac. The industrial CanalconnectstheMississippiRiverwiththelakeatNewOrleans. BonnetCarréSpillwaydivertswaterfromtheMississippiintothelakeduringtimesofflooding.

Human habitation of the region began at least 3,500 yearsago, but increased rapidly about 300 years ago with the arrival ofEuropeans.Thecurrentpopulationisover1.5million.

from the gulf to enter the St. Bernard marshes and Lake Pontchartrain, which caused the loss of much of the freshwater marshes. More damage occurred in 1965 when Hurricane Betsy came onshore causing flooding and other destruction in the New Orleans area.

The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation was established in 1989 to ensure the health of the lake and its rivers. This foundation addresses environmental quality and educates the public about their role in preserving this historical lake. The very next year shell dredging was discontinued. This process had been taking place for over 60 years but ultimately it was destroying the lake’s ecosystem.

Lake Pontchartrain is replete with a full compliment of interesting facts and a fascinating history. This is just a brief taste of the tales this famous lake holds to tempt those of us who will experience the real thing when we go sailing on the historic Lake Pontchartrain in September!

many locally produced items being made available for export.

Steamboat travel began in 1815, which replaced many of the sailboats. When the Pontchartrain railroad was completed in 1831, it connected the city of New Orleans with the lakeshore, and several exclusive resorts were created. It was a popular stopping point for travelers, and the wealthy citizens of New Orleans enjoyed day trips and weekend get-a-ways, where gambling and sailing were popular past-times. The Southern Yacht Club opened on the West End in 1849.

The antebellum period was a prosperous time for many around Lake Pontchartrain. Large plantations developed along the north and south shores, in the city of New Orleans and along the Mississippi River.

In the 1930’s oil and gas exploration began to take place on the lake. Due to environmental issues, such as wetland loss from canal dredging and pollution from oil spills, new oil and gas drilling leases have not been permitted since 1992.

The Lake Pontchartrain causeway was completed in 1956. In 1963, the Mississippi

River Gulf Outlet was opened to provide a short cut for shipping from the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans. This allowed saltwater

Sail with CHPA in September!

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C/227thAHB,1stCavalryDivisionC Co, 227th AHB will hold its reunion September 16th – 19th, 2010 at the Radisson

Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN. For more information contact Don Doane at [email protected] or give him a call at 615.614.1376.

OutlawRoundup…62ndAviationCompany,175thAviationThe Vinh Long Outlaws Association will be meeting at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel

in Nashville, TN on September 30th – October 4th, 2010. More information is available on their website: vinhlongoutlaws.com

Reunions and Gatherings …

1stAttackHelicopterBattalion,24thAviationBrigadeReunionThe 1/24th AHB Vipers will be holding a reunion in Savannah, GA, October 15th –

17th, 2010. If anyone is a former 1/24th Viper and wants to attend, send your information to [email protected]. Please include your name, e-mail (civilian preferably), address and phone. Look forward to seeing everyone! Viper 249 — Barry Thomason — 270.268.6014

Pleasefeelfreetoforwardthisissueof“TheSwashPlate”toyourcolleagues,potentialmembers,andotherinterestedparties!

Share the Swash!

1stSquadron,9thCalvaryReunionThe 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry will hold its 2010 Reunion October 7th – 10th, 2010 in

Columbus, GA. For more details and registration see the Bullwhip Squadron Association website at www.bullwhipsquadron.org or contact Larry Wright, [email protected] or 812.871.8642

Does your group have a reunion coming up? Let us know and we’ll mention it here!

Tell Your Friends about CHPA!

WesureappreciatethoseofyouwhocontinuetotellyourfriendsaboutCHPA!Visitchpa‐us.orgtotellsomemorebyutilizingour“TellAFriend”featureontheCHPAwebsite.It’sfastandeasy!

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Call on Us! President—LoriGaff lgaff@chpa‐us.org Headquarters—JayBrown hq@chpa‐us.orgVicePresident—RheaRippey admin@chpa‐us.orgSecretary—RobertFrost secretary@chpa‐us.orgTreasurer—LorenMcAnally treasurer@chpa‐us.org

DirectorsRustyBourgoyne rbourgoyne@chpa‐us.orgMichaelClarke mclarke@chpa‐us.orgBuzzCovington bcovington@chpa‐us.orgRussellLeslie rleslie@chpa‐us.orgRickRoll rroll@chpa‐us.org RandyZahn rzahn@chpa‐us.org

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NewOrleansUpdateJayBrown

We’re down to the wire for our Annual Meeting in New Orleans. I hope you’ve taken the opportunity to register for the meeting and for your lodging at the Saint Christopher. As always, the CHPA Annual Meeting is shaping up to be an intimate gathering of friends, both new and old, in a city that is known for its party atmosphere.

If you’ve not done so, log into the website at chpa-us.org and follow the links to register for the meeting. Then give the Saint Christopher a call at 800.645.9312 and tell them you’ll be attending the CHPA Annual Meeting.

We’ve passed the deadline for the special rate for CHPA but don’t let that stop you from joining the fun. I’ve been to every meeting so far and all have been an absolute blast, from renewing old acquaintances and making new ones, to trying to see everything our various venues have had to offer.

I’ve been keeping track of who’s registered, an occupational hazard, and I know most of the people who have already signed up and I’m really looking forward to seeing them and the few I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting yet. I’m also looking forward to experiencing New Orleans again. I’ve passed through and near New Orleans over the last few years but it has been far too long since I’ve tasted the cuisine and soaked up the atmosphere that is “The Big Easy.”

So get on your computer or pick up your phone and get registered. This promises to be one of the best gatherings we’ve had and a good time for everyone who comes to the gathering. As always, the President’s suite will have an open bar every evening for our socializing. I’m looking forward to seeing you all there.

Documents

The August 2010 Issue of "The Swash Plate, Volume 5, Issue 8