[Paul462]

Good comments, Jerry! Ed and Jim, thank you very much for the vote of appreciation!

My records indicate the original list of nominees for this, the FIFTH ANNUAL SOAPA FLY-IN, numbered 17 locations; Las Vegas was voted the winner by the SOAPA Fly-In Committee. The time was a little dicier - it took two votes to nail down the Fly-In dates.

This year's SOAPA Fly-In Committee is made up of 23 individuals who volunteered to help organize the 2006 SOAPA Fly-In. From these individuals, Jerry De Santis and Larry Bowdish stepped forward to be Fly-In Co-Chairmen for this year. Thanks, Guys!

As Jerry notes, the Fly-In Committee is in the throes of finalizing a SOAPA By-Laws draft to present for approval to the membership during the 2006 Fly-In. During the Fly-In we will also hopefully elect officers, and thus begin a new, slightly more formal (and ultimately more permanent) chapter in our organization's history than the largely ad hoc venture it has been to date.

We will be discussing these matters, brainstorming Fly-In speakers, events and social activities, and seeing how we can best help Jerry and Larry, during our Mid-Winter Committee teleconference this Saturday.

We look forward to catching up with old friends, and meeting new ones, at this year's Fly-In - please attend, provide input, and join the Committee to help plan the '07 Fly-In! If you're unable to attend but are interested in SOAPA, please check out the Fly-In report on this site after the Fly-In. With luck, there will be information on how to join SOAPA, and the Committe, at that time.

Paul Rooy