August, 24, 2003

Dear Convention Registrants,

           I am sending this note to give some update information that won't appear in the Flyer due to lead times. There may be some other notes before the convention if information develops and is deemed potentially useful to you.

           First I would like to remind you that our latest and most complete information about the convention is posted on our convention web-site at www.ics-tampa2003.com <http://www.ics-tampa2003.com/> . If you haven't viewed this site in the last 30 days, then I urge you to go there and obtain all the latest information concerning events, schedules, and background information.

           One change of note is that the "Ladies Luncheon and Fashion Show" has been moved to Friday. This information is correct on the web-site. This should be a fun event for the ladies and even the men since the runway models will be selected from the audience. The Luncheon will begin shortly after the close of the General Membership Meeting.

           I am attaching a couple of pictures that were passed on to me. Apparently these pictures were taken nearby Orlando Int'l Airport by some FPL(Florida Power and Light) workers. Florida really does have some unique wildlife that is not fictional. I promise to the Convention attendees there will be none of these critters either at Peter O'Knight Airport or the Wyndham Harbour Island Hotel. Along the lines of Florida critters, I have put together a special flight to be held Thurs. of the Convention 9/11/03. If you look at the Convention schedule on page 9 of the July Flyer, the ladies luncheon will be rescheduled to a different day due to a schedule conflict. Here is what I have put together:

The price will be $33.70 per person. We will fly to the Seminole Reservation private landing strip in the Everglades (about a 35 to 45 minute flight, 6000 ft. paved) and there be escorted to see an alligator wrestling exhibition along with lunch at the Swamp Water Café. After lunch we will take a one hour airboat ride into the Everglades to see wildlife and nature first hand. There is an optional swamp buggy ride at no additional charge for those not in a hurry to return to Tampa. There will also be an opportunity to briefly visit their gift shop for those Indian/Everglades souvenirs. The price is all inclusive complete with lunch and airport transfer.

           There will be a limit of 20 airplanes max. for this activity-first come basis. Those with extra seats are encouraged to give others a ride when the 20 airplane limit is reached. If interested please contact me about it and I will give any further details. At this time there are 15 slots available for the trip.

           This is also a good opportunity to ride along with another Comanche pilot and see a different pilot's perspective and plane.

           In visiting with Peter O'Knight manager Scott Pollock on Friday, he has stated that ICS members will be afforded a 20 cents per gallon discount on fuel. Since there is no parking charge for our stay, we are encouraging all those flying in to purchase fuel. Both the airport management and Hillsboro County Aviation Dept. are being totally cooperative in our efforts to make this an enjoyable event for all those involved. By the way, Peter O'Knight Airport will be the primary airport for the AOPA 2005 annual convention.

           As you well might know by now, there are no rooms available at our host hotel, Wyndham Harbour Island. We have been informed by Scott Pollock that Tampa Flying Service has a rate at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel, about one block from the Wyndham. If you have some friends that are still wishing to attend and have missed the hotel cut-off date, my suggestion would be to contact Scott Pollock at 813-251-1752 and ask about reservations at the Marriott.

           Those of you who have ordered convention shirts, we thank you for your orders and hope that you enjoy the shirts. Those that ordered late in July, there was a delay in shipping due to the manufacturer spending time at Oshkosh with his booth. He has been back for about two weeks now and the orders are being shipped in a timely manner once again. We thank you for your patient. Those who have been thinking about ordering a shirt, there is a cut-off date when the shirts will be ready for the convention. Tues. Aug. 26 is the last day that an order can be received and be ready for the convention. Orders placed after the cut-off date or at the convention will not be delivered until after the convention is over. If you would like to make an order simply fill out one form for each shirt, place your credit card info on the order, and fax to me at 954-584-6558 before Aug. 26. 

           That's all the update information that I have for now. As new info comes in I will try to pass it along. Thanks to all for your intentions to join us at Tampa.

           Sincerely,

                       Skip Dykema

August 24, 2003

Dear Tribe,

           The Tampa Convention is rapidly approaching and I wanted to touch basis with you concerning a few of the happenings and business of importance to the SE Tribe members.

           Right now there are two largely important decisions that will be decided at the Tampa Convention. You should not loose sight of the significance of these choices. One is the By-Law proposal that has been asked for by the Board of Directors and put into print and fabricated in detail by member Hank Spellman. This By-Law Change is spelled out in the August Flyer on page 29 and 31. Hank did a very thorough job of attending to details that we hadn't thought about and has all of the ramifications of this proposal laid out in a very logical order. I urge you to read this proposal and to consider it.

           This By-Law change will allow for future "Absentee Voting" by the membership. At this time, the only way that a member can vote for or against anything in ICS is to be present at the General Membership Meeting which takes place at the yearly Convention. The By-Law proposal will allow members in the future to be able to vote by mail without actually being required to physically travel and be present at the time and place of the Meeting. This will have a profound effect on the membership's ability to have a voice in determining the future of ICS and for all members to be included in the decision making process. I wholeheartedly endorse this proposal!!!

           The only way that this proposal can be passed is for 2/3 of the members present to vote for the ratification of this proposal. Here is where you can help in the future if ICS. You simply have to travel to Tampa on Fri. morning, Sept. 12 and be present at the meeting and vote.

You are not required to pay any registration fee to simply attend the General Membership Meeting. We will provide free transportation from Peter O'Knight Airport (TPF) and return after the meeting. The meeting begins at 10:00 AM at the Wyndham Harbour Island Hotel. I would suggest that you arrive around 9:00 AM at Peter O'Knight. Plan on a ten minute trip to the hotel by van. Members of the SE Tribe have the distinct opportunity to travel the least amount of distance and have a profound affect on the future of ICS.

           Also at this meeting will be the election of ICS officers for the upcoming year. At this time, I am not sure exactly which members will be running for each office other than those that have been chosen by the Nominating Committee. My understanding is that the Nominating Committee had some heated debates amongst themselves and that there will most likely be alternate candidates for all positions. Be there and make a difference in the direction that the future ICS takes. I cannot stress this enough! In the past there has been much apathy on the part of the membership at the General Meetings as witnessed by less than 100 members being present to determine the direction of ICS. Lets increase this number and show our influence. This is the big chance. It won't happen again for the SE Tribe. Think about it. Adjust your schedule and make your plans. You can do it and make a difference.

           For those who haven't registered and are still thinking about it, there is still an opportunity to attend. The Wyndham Hotel has no rooms available. The Tampa Marriot Waterside Hotel is about one block away and Tampa Flying Service has a rate with the Marriott. Just call Tampa Flying Service at 813-251-1752 and ask for the details. Also you can take advantage of either the late registration fee or the weekend registration fee for Convention. All of this information is included on our Convention web-site at www.ics-tampa2003.com <http://www.ics-tampa2003.com/> .

           See you in Tampa.

           Sincerely,

                       Skip Dykema

SE Tribe Report      Sept. 10, 2003

         Tampa, Fla.        Old Board Meeting

           The SE Tribe is in good condition at this time. Our Treasury, as reported by Treasurer Sara Liller in June, stands at $10,880 and is separate from the convention checking account. We have had numerous fly-ins during 2003 including Venice, Fla. (annual New Years fly-in), Zephyrhills, Fla. (technical session about engines with Charlie Melot), Lantana, Fla. (technical session about propellers with Palm Beach Propeller), Kitty Hawk, N.C. (fly-in for tour of 100 anniversary of flight Wright Bros. Memorial), Two Bahamas Fly-ins, Live Oak, Fla. (annual June business meeting), along with our Sun-N-Fun Comanche Booth and first ever Comanche "group arrival" at Lakeland. We have also had numerous planning meetings in preparation for the Tampa Convention.  Our new incoming officers are: Chuck Hutchins, Tribe Chief; Ken Rivard, Assistant Tribe Chief; and Sara Liller, Secretary-Treasurer.

           On a somber note. We lost our Assistant Tribe Chief Robert Kendig to an apparent heart failure on May 24. Robert was well liked in the Tribe and would have become the incoming Tribe Chief. He and his wife Jackie had traveled to Oklahoma City and attended both of the marathon meetings in November and March in full. The SE Tribe misses Robert and his efforts made the Tribe stronger and we were looking forward to his serving as Tribe Chief. Jackie continues to attend our functions. There are hopes that Robert's plane will be in the Flagship Competition in Tampa.

           Our New Year's fly-in is planned to be held at River Ranch Acres, a fly-in resort located about 50 miles west of Vero Beach.

           The SE Tribe owes a debt of gratitude to all the members that made this Tribe successful. There are many members that have unselfishly pitched in and made things happen. Others have supported the Tribe by attending our events and making the mix of attendees more complete. Each member has something to offer into the Comanche experience. My thanks to all of you. You make it happen.

           Sincerely,

           Respectfully submitted,

Skip Dykema

-----Original Message-----

From: International Comanche Society [mailto:icsadmin@keytech.com]

Sent: Friday, August 08, 2003 5:30 PM

To: Skip Dykema; John Dunning; Richard Bullock; Monica Rehkopf; Lorne & Peggy Harmon; Lawrence M Paratz; Larry Rackley; John Van Bladeren; Jeffrey Jones; Jeffrey Earle; JAMES MARTIN; Doug Pickett; Don Nelson; Carolyn Moody; Butch Baker; Bob Noble; Pat Wachsman; Bruce MacRitche

Subject: Reports for Board Meeting

Dear Board Members,

Please send in your reports for the Board Meetings in Tampa for inclusion in the Board packets by 18th August.

Thanks

Gaynor ICS HQ

August 9, 2003

Dear Tribe,

           I know that many of you use www.airnav.com <http://www.airnav.com/>  often, but I continue to encounter those who haven't heard of it. Just to cover the bases, "airnav" is an excellent source of fuel price information along with some other aviation related things such as airport information, local street maps, and hotels. This is a free service and you are not required to do anything other than utilize the availability. It is requested although not mandatory that after fueling somewhere that you enter in any information that you have concerning fuel prices. That way the prices can remain somewhat current.

The structure is dependent on the users to help keep it up to date.

           When going onto the web-site click onto the fuel price tab. On the next page, you will enter the airport ID that you are interested in and what kind of fuel you are interested in. After entering the info, a page will appear with the fuel prices for the airport which you have identified and those other airports within a 30 mile radius of there.

This is excellent information to have and I use it when doing my flight planning. On many trips I have altered my refueling point due to information gleaned from "airnav". It has also saved me a significant amount of money over the past couple of years. Try it, you will like it.

***************************************************************

           On another subject, I just wanted to pass along a heads up concerning the Wyndham Hotel for the Tampa Convention. Sunday, August 10 (tomorrow), is the last day that you can be assured of obtaining the convention room price of $99 per night. If you have been thinking of attending and haven't made a reservation yet, this is a good time to do so or else be prepared for a large price increase. They can be contacted at 1-813-229-5000. The dates for the convention are Sept. 9-14.

           We look forward to seeing you all there.

           Sincerely,

Skip Dykema