05.28.10 Edition: WAR? 'The Last Time' DC-3 Commemoration Project Claims 'Hostile Takeover' By EAA Air War In Progress?
A private group of DC-3 pilots and devotees that claim to have
spent "over a year" organizing a mass gathering of DC-3 and C-47
aircraft for this summer (including a showing at Oshkosh 2010)
seems to think that they are the victim of a hostile takeover... by
the EAA, itself.
According to public statements made by the organization, 'The
Last Time is an organization created for the sole purpose of
reuniting flying examples of the Douglas DC-3 and the people
associated with them, for one last time. The goal of the
organization is to celebrate this aircraft and these people. At the
same time we want to honor their service, we also want to provide
assistance to the people and aircraft making this journey to EAA
AirVenture 2010.'
Originally, the event was put forth as a cooperative venture
between EAA and The Last Time... until the night of May 26th, when
notice went out that EAA would be dealing with the matter,
'exclusively."
The EAA notice about the event and its relation to the
Oshkosh Fly-In, created some consternation and many TLT
proponents claim the announcement "caught us by
surprise." Shortly after EAA's late Wednesday announcement, TLT
posted the following statement to their web site.
'The Last Time' Public Statement
EAA announced (May 26) their planned hostile takeover of The
Last Time celebration and formation flight. In the
announcement, the Association stated, "EAA will exclusively
organize and coordinate all AirVenture activities for the DC-3 75th
anniversary." This is clearly an attempt at ousting the
celebration's original organizers.
In spite of Tom
Poberezny's assertion that EAA has been planning the event for the
past year, The Last Time project was developed by an
independent group of DC-3 pilots. It was planned, coordinated, and
privately funded without any support from EAA. Now they want to
claim it to be theirs.
The kickoff celebration at the staging
airport (KSQI) at Sterling/Rock Falls, Illinois will still occur on
July 24th and 25th. Free media rides and all the planned DC-3
activities will remain intact. Come to Whiteside County Airport and
witness the world record formation flight on Monday, July 26. See
these historic airplanes together again, for the last
time.
ANN is checking with sources on both sides of the controversy
and will furnish more background shortly.
FMI:
http://www.thelasttime.org