December 20, 2013 NECAS Notes
ICAS 2013 Conference
About the biggest news to come out of ICAS 2013 was the release of airshow dates from the USAF Thunderbirds and US Navy Blue Angles. 2013 saw many air shows cancel or postpone events due to the loss of funding for these jet teams. It is great to see many of these events back on the 2014 calendar. On Monday 2 December more than 50 NECAS members gathered for a short meeting on Monday evening. Speakers included NECAS President Kevin Walsh, Diana Spremo and Dave "Huggie" Cooper. Topics included conference plans, a new website platform and NECAS's new incentive program to entice the invitation of new attendees to the 2014 conference.
Kevin Walsh elected to ICAS Board of Directors
During the ICAS Conference, NECAS president Kevin Walsh was elected to serve on the ICAS Board of Directors, beginning immediately. As a reminder, Kevin had already been serving on the ICAS Board as Regional Representative for the past 3 years. In his second term as NECAS president, Kevin reluctantly handed in his resignation to the NECAS Board of Directors, stating he could not give his full attention to NECAS due to professional and personal commitments.As Vice President, Dave "Huggie" Cooper will be fulfilling the role of President until 15 February 2014 when a new board will be elected. Temporarily filling Kevin's empty seat on the 2013 Board will be Naomi Wadsworth who was a nominee for the 2013 NECAS Board of Directors. Naomi has been a long time NECAS member and supporter with a long family history in air shows. Naomi, who has a M.B.A. in Management and a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology will be a great asset to the Board of Directors in the next few months as we finalize plans for the 2014 NECAS AGM and Conference.
2014 NECAS Conference - February 14-15!
Mark your calendars! The NECAS Conference will take place this year on February 14-15 at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station in Niagara Falls, New York. Last year, we had a very large turn-out. Let's keep that up.
For those unfamiliar with the format, people begin arriving Friday late afternoon/evening and spend the evening socializing in the bar on base. (insert sarcastic remark, like 'how unusual for this crowd'.) The formal portion of the conference runs Saturday from approximately 9am to 4:30pm, with complimentary breakfast and lunch. After the conference, but before dinner, we have arranged for a cocktail hour tour of the newly located Niagara Aerospace Museum. Shuttle buses will take people to and from. After the Museum, everyone returns to the base for a complimentary dinner, then back to the bar for more socializing. Most people stay for two nights. There is no Sunday schedule.
Conference costs will be very similar, if not the same, as last year. Final cost and early-bird registration deadlines will be confirmed in another issue of NECAS Notes.
2014 NECAS Conference Promotion
Start talking to your friends and colleagues now.
Were you a registered attendee at the NECAS conference in February 2013?
If you were, you have the opportunity to have your 2014 conference fees returned to you at the conference this coming February. How you may ask?
Well, NECAS wants new members and new attendees, so find someone who has never been to the conference, or has not been since 2010. When they register for the conference this year (on-line registration will be available soon and will be announced to you), they check off a box that indicates to us they did not attend the conference in 2011, 2012, or 2013. The next box is a place where they type the name of the person who convinced them to come. If they type your name, and you came to the conference last year, we will write you a cheque at the conference this year to repay your conference registration fee. It really is that simple. This Promotion is funded in part by our friends at ExtremeTix and Click-n-Print.
Here are a few simple FAQ's:
If I did not come last year, do I qualify?
No, only people who attended the 2013 conference qualify.
If more than one person puts my name down, can I get my conference fees back more than once?
No, only one fee per person.
Can I get my membership fees as well as conference fees refunded?
No, this promotion only applies to conference fees.
Can I get my travel and hotel costs refunded?
Again no, this promotion only applies to conference fees.
If I do not attend this year, but someone indicates I convinced them to go, can I still get the rebate?
No, in order to qualify you must pay the conference fee for the 2014 conference.
Will anyone check to see if the person really has not been to the conference since 2010?
Yes, someone will be going through all the registrants who check the box and confirming that they were not on the register in 2011, 2012, or 2013.
Will the cheque (check) be in U.S. or Canadian $'s?
NECAS banks in the U.S. and all our financial transactions happen in U.S. dollars, so the cheque will be in U.S. funds.
New NECAS Website
Early in the new year, NECAS will be introducing a new website! In look, it won't be much different than the last, but where it becomes different is in the applications it will offer. Most, if not eventually all, of our platforms will be streamlined to this location. So for example, through the website, everyone will be able to:- pay for membership
- renew membership
- set up an online profile / update contact information
- pay for the annual conference
- receive NECAS Notes
- and other cool, convenient stuff
And from our end, we can help you too. For example, we can set up automatic messages that remind you when your membership is coming up for renewal.
To make changes to your profile, members will have to log in with your email address and password. But don't worry if you forget your password -- simply click on the "Forgot password" button when attempting to log in.
The host of our new site is Wild Apricot ( They are a specialized Membership Software Management System for non-profits that come with great accolades. We expect this new platform to serve NECAS very well.
Our web address will remain
Find an Air Show
Did you know the ICAS website has a great map of 2014 air shows. You can zoom into a particular geographical area and click on the plane for information about the show. There are also searchable fields for provinces, states and air show acts.
The map can be found at this link
The NECAS Board of Directors would like to wish everyone a safe Holiday Season and all the best for the New Year.
Don't forget to track Santa at NORAD's official site
If you have an announcement or news to share with NECAS members, we'd be happy to pass it on. Please send it along to Eric Dumigan, NECAS Notes Editor at .
Please click --->HERE<--- to download a PDF of these NECAS Notes.