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Presidents Message Update from the Managers Desk As The Prop Turns The Final Descent: Shawn Bickford's Remarkable Journey in The Airline Industry January Joint EAA Meeting
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PRESIDENTS MESSAGE: flying safe
The elephant in the room this month is the recent series of aviation safety incidents, including fatal crashes. Each report is unsettling, even when we consider the millions of uneventful flights that take place every year. According to the OAG, the U.S. averages 108,505 commercial flights per week—that’s 5.6 million flights annually. The FAR/AIM spans more than 1,100 pages, aiming to account for every possible scenario a pilot may encounter. On top of that, we face crowded airspace, aging equipment, busy cockpits, unpredictable weather, and countless other factors that add complexity to every flight. These challenges aren’t just theoretical—they exist right here at KAUN. That’s why we need to continue these discussions at home. All instructors, students, weekend flyers, and professional pilots who use Auburn Airport are encouraged to attend our Annual Safety Conference in the Barnstormer Room on Tuesday, April 22, at 5:30 p.m. Click the link to register. It’s imperative that we, as KAUN users, share our knowledge, refine our procedures, and discuss both incidents and habits that may not serve us well. The safety meeting is the perfect opportunity to engage with your peers in an open and constructive conversation. You’ve probably heard the saying: "There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots." While I’ve certainly met a few audacious aviators, the reality is that flying well requires a careful balance of confidence, humility, and—above all—communication. See you at the airport! Chris Haven President, Auburn Aviation Association
Chris Haven, AAA President
this month's speaker
General membership meeting menu
Main Dish: A-F Side or Salad: G-L Dessert: M-Z
"The Untold Story of United Flight 1175, and the Man who Saved It" Captain Christopher Behman, retired United Airlines The April Meeting is "Aviation Jokes and Stories Night" (think April Fools). The audience is invited to share jokes and stories, anything Aviatian related, and "mostly clean"!
5AC Meeting03/04/2025 5:30 PM (PST)The Barnstormer Room KAUN Monthly Membership Meeting03/05/2025 6:00 PM (PST)13666 New Airport Rd, Auburn, CA 95602 Aircraft Display Days at KAUN04/05/2025 10:00 AM (PDT)13666 New Airport Road, Auburn, CA Aircraft Display Days at KAUN04/26/2025 10:00 AM (PDT)13666 New Airport Road, Auburn, CA Aircraft Display Days at KAUN08/02/2025 10:00 AM (PDT)13666 New Airport Road, Auburn, CA
upcoming events:
An update from the managers desk of kaun
As we move deeper into the new year, February has been a month of progress, challenges, and valuable learning opportunities at Auburn Airport. Here’s a look at the key events that have shaped our month: FOD BOSS Testing Update Our efforts to enhance airfield safety continue. Although weather and scheduling delays have extended our evaluation period, testing of the Aerosweep FOD BOSS is well underway. Early indications are promising, and if performance continues on this trajectory, we expect to make the FOD BOSS a permanent fixture to help reduce Foreign Object Debris on the field. For more details about the device, visit Aerosweep’s FOD BOSS page. Annual Safety Meeting Invitation This month, one of our pilots had an unfortunate day. While starting the aircraft, the power setting was at full power and the plane got away from the pilot. This caused the plane to strike not one, but two hangars before control was regained. The incident resulted in severe damage to both the aircraft and the hangars. Thankfully, no one was hurt. In my tenure as airport manager, I've witnessed a range of incidents—hangar rashes, ramp runaway planes, gear-up landings, prop strikes involving birds on the runway, lose animals on the field, and more. These incidents may seem insignificant to some, but each one should remind us how even a minor misstep can severely affect our flying or the life of another. They also underscore the importance of continually reviewing our safety practices. That’s why I’m excited to extend an invitation to attend the upcoming Annual Safety Meeting. This evening meeting is diligently being organized by Don Wolf. This event is an amazing opportunity to enhance the overall safety of the flying community. I have attended this as a participant and presenter, and I have always learned at least one new safety tactic from this event. Please sign up and join us for this vital discussion on safety and best practices on the AAA website. Space is limited so are the prizes! Your participation is essential as we work together to ensure Auburn Municipal Airport remains a safe and thriving aviation hub for all. SWAAAE Winter Conference Report I had the pleasure of attending the SWAAAE short course in Monterey this month—a true opportunity to hone our skills and share knowledge. The keynote session was delivered by Jennifer Zientz. She delivered a seminar on Cognitive Capital: The Healthy and Harmful Ways We Manage Our Greatest Asset (the Brain) it was particularly eye-opening. Additionally, sessions on unpacking Section 743 from FAA Reauthorization 2024 and updates to FAA Land Use Policy sparked many interesting questions and discussions. Continuous, quality training is essential in aviation, and events like these play a crucial role in keeping airport operations safe and vibrant. Updating the Minimum Operating Standards As many of you may recall from a few months back, we embarked on updating the Minimum Operating Standards for Auburn Municipal Airport. For several reasons—and with input from both the airport team and our pilots—we undertook the process of revising our standards. One of our biggest milestones was converting our current standards into a fully digital, editable document. This task took many hours of dedicated work from our airport staff to digitize and refine the content into a version truly worthy of further editing. Our goal is to craft a document that can serve the airport well for many years with little need for further changes. The updated standards could end up being drastically different from what we currently abide by—or nearly the same. Ultimately, it’s up to you! Please reach out to me or any of the team Project liaisons listed here to share your insights and opinions. Every idea is welcome your input is invaluable in shaping a robust and lasting set of standards. Thank you for your continued support and commitment to making Auburn Municipal Airport a safe and thriving community. Project Liaisons Ken Dwelle, Kent English, Dan Flom, Richard Byrod, Bryan Souza, Andy Robinson New Police Chief I am honored to report that The City of Auburn has promoted Lt. Bryan Morrison to Chief of Police. On February 11th, the Auburn Police Department proudly welcomed Chief Bryan Morrison during a special swearing-in ceremony. The event drew a full house, with community members and representatives from various agencies coming together to celebrate this significant occasion. City Manager Sean Rabé led the event. This event highlighted Chief Morrison’s dedication to leadership and his continued support of the Auburn community. The Auburn City Clerk Amy Lind administered the oath of office officially marking the start of his tenure and the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the department and the Auburn community. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions. The door is always open! Together, we continue to make Auburn Airport a safe and thriving hub for aviation. Safe flying! Tyghe Richardson Your Airport Manager Auburn Airport City of Auburn, CA (530) 888-8174
Tyghe Richardson, Airport Manager
As the prop turns
Mike Duncan, Sunshine Flyers
Don Wolfe interviewing Fox 40
Mike Duncan, Peyton Brothers,& Steve Kendall
While the weather started pretty bad this month, we did manage to get a few students up in the air and even solo. Both Spencer Daley and Grace Paynter were able to solo in a C-172. Dwight Stalker is their instructor, and now on to their cross-country training. Congratulations to all on a job well done! This past month I had the opportunity to attend the Placer High School Career Day. The main reason for that invitation was that I had dropped off a flyer for AAA's annual career day and they did not know anything about it, so they invited me to their day. With the help of Steve Kendall for the audio-visual aids he brought in. Additionally, he was a great help with talking to many of the kids there. Peyton Brothers was also in attendance and brought with her the youthful exuberance that I sometimes lack. She managed to impress many of the kids with the fact that she is a flight instructor at Sunshine Flyers and a former member of the Air Force. Between the three of us, we managed to talk to about a hundred people with some real potential for flying. We were very glad with the interest shown by everyone. As a footnote to the event, we are invited back to do an aviation-specific event later this year. No date was set but it will be soon. As far as I am concerned, we were a great success in getting the word out about the many opportunities we offer at the airport. While on the subject of the Placer High Career Day, I met a young man named Cooper Barr. Cooper is the president of the aviation club at the school. Mostly they are just working with RC model airplanes and do not know how to get involved with real airplanes. I personally invited him to the airport to meet with many of us at our next Wednesday evening meeting. He will be able to meet some of the members of our association and make some great connections for any future ambitions in aviation. It has always amazed me how few people in Auburn know about what we do at the airport. Even fewer are aware of the opportunities we offer for both the college-bound and the non college-bound students. I look forward to meeting with Cooper and forming a partnership with the high school. Well, that is about all for this month, so Good Night Miss Daisy. The Prop Turner Mike Duncan
the final descent: shawn bickford's remarkable journey in the airline indsutry
Brooklyn Brown, Propwash Editor
Shawn Bickford's nearly 40-year airline career will come to an end with United Airlines in April 2025. In February, shortly before his 65th birthday, he took the Boeing 787 Dreamliner from San Francisco to Tahiti for his final voyage. And happily accompanying him on this final flight was his family, where they all enjoyed a 48-hour layover in the beautiful tropics of Tahiti. Shawn was also surprised with some bittersweet parting messages on his 787s ATC Uplink: “Your kids on board say thanks for teaching us how to fly...” and “...we understand you have done a lot for younger generations of pilots. We wish you congratulations on a solid career, and best of luck in retirement.”. Following an incredible final flight with his loved ones, Shawn reflects on his career and the impact he has had on his community as he enters retirement. Starting with kites, all the way to model airplanes and radio-controlled gliders, Shawn's love for aviation started at a young age. These interests would lead him to beginning his flight training to become a pilot in just high school. He completed all of his ratings up to commercial pilot by the time he graduated from high school, and the following summer, in 1979, he also obtained his CFI. Shawn would also pursue higher education through San Jose State University, with a BS degree in Aircraft Maintenance by 1983. For two summers out of his four years at SJSU, he landed a part 135 air-taxi job out of Juneau, Alaska, with “LAB Flying Service” flying mostly Cherokee Sixes. In just those two summers alone, he would amass 800 hours of flight time. He finished off his third summer with another Alaskan outfit in the Bristol Bay area hauling fish in a Cessna 185. Despite having a remarkable amount of flight time and experience, Shawn would go on to work with Northrop Grumman Corporation on a number of projects using his A&P license. These projects included the F-18, F-5, F-20, and B-747 fuselages, which, interestingly, he most likely flew later in his career at United Airlines. He points out that the aviation industry was going through a severe recession at this time, which is what deterred him from pursuing any flying jobs. However, it wouldn't be long before he had another opportunity to fly. Learning about the Air Force Reserves while at Northrop, he applied to and was accepted into a heavy transport unit operating C-141s in San Bernadino (Norton AFB). For nine and a half years, he flew all over the world, including Desert Storm, but the majority of his time was in the Pacific. He completed pilot training flying T-37s and T-38s at Chandler, Arizona (Williams AFB), then C-141s in Oklahoma (Altus AFB). His time with the Air Force Reserves is what would launch Shawn into his career in the airlines. After a 2-year mandatory training with the Air Force, he was hired at 26 years old by Hawaiian Airlines as a First Officer on the Dash-7 Turboprop—a 4-engine turboprop with STOL capabilities. While on probation, he would earn a promotion to Captain after completing 2,000 hours over five years with Hawaiian. Shawn was limited to this role for a while as the aviation industry would see yet another cycle of stagnation, but he claims that in order to keep his mind sharp, he would take up surfing and windsurfing in his spare time. In an interesting turn of events, Hawaiian Airlines would go through bankruptcy during this time, right as Shawn would see an activation of his squadron because of Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Though, while activated, he would apply to United Airlines, and be accepted. And that point, with around 4,000 hours. He began his career as a DC-10 Engineer after being dismissed from active duty. Later, he flew the 727, 737, 757, 767, A320, and 747 before finally retiring his last 7 1/2 years as a captain on the 787. He spent the most of his career as a FO and says he particularly enjoyed the international (Pacific) 747 flying the most. Not simply in the sense of just a career, aviation has played a significant role in Shawn's life both before and after retirement. He met his wife, Juliette, who was a flight attendant for Continental Airlines through his time while working at Hawaiian Airlines. They have been married for 35 years. Shawns father, of which was an American Airlines pilot, would pass down the family 1977 Skywagon in 1999 after he fell victim to cancer. Shawn would go on to teach his own children to fly: his son Lance Bickford, a Captain for Bering Air; his foster daughter Camille Tricomo, a FO for Skywest; his oldest daughter Tierra Bickford, a Captain at Delta Airlines; and even his son-in-law Michael, who is active-duty Navy. And not just to his own kin has he imparted his mentorship and generosity, but to many, especially the youth, in his community. For the past 20 years, Shawn has volunteered to serve as a board member on an aircraft maintenance mission in Big Lake, and he and Juliette have been actively involved in Christian missions in Alaska. Shawn and Juliette are also gold lifetime members of the Auburn Aviation Association, contributing to the scholarship fund and effort for the next generation of pilots. Shawn says he “had a pretty good run with some turbulence along the way”, “...the Auburn community, and especially the group of friends at the airport, have been so valuable to our family. We have so many great recourses right here in Auburn”. And he’s right, the Auburn airport and Auburns community as a whole, has been improved by the men and women just like Shawn and Juliette, who aim to make a difference for our next generation. Alaska, which apparently stoked Shawn's love of flying and provided him with opportunities to give back to the local community, is where he plans to spend a large portion of his retirement. Shawn and Juliette recently bought a house near Big Lake, which is exciting since, as previously stated, he serves as a volunteer board member for aviation repair missions, which still genuinely intrigues him. He hopes to fly the family Cessna 180 up there this summer. Thank you, Shawn Bickford, and the Bickford family, for your contributions to the aviation community.
Shawn and his family
Shawn and Juliette
Our February monthly meeting was filled with surprises and a wonderful speaker. Dwayne Browning gave a fantastic presentation on his time in Vietnam flying helicopters with his book: “Chasing The Dragon”. He talked about his responsibilities along with charity work helping many kids in the area while over there. He had some incredible photographs he displayed showing some of the men he served with along with several helicopter photographs. I personally surprised my Dad with a copy of his book. He felt it was real and authentic and said it was one of the best books I’ve gotten him. Dwayne is a humble, down to earth man who was quite impressed with AAA‘s work supporting the next generation of aviators with our scholarship program. If anybody’s interested in contacting Dwayne for his book, let me know & I’ll be happy to assist. He’s a local guy and loves meeting people and talking aviation. A fun surprise during the meeting was a “thank you”presentation from Chris Haven and Don Wolfe to Ben Foss for all the work he did helping assist with parking planes for Career Day in January along with all the other times he’s helped including the Airport’s 90th birthday celebration last October. Ben was brought up to the front of the room and given a sash and top hat acknowledging he is now the “Mayor of the Airport” along with a plaque. Once again, Ben, thank you for all the work you do at the airport, whether it be coordinating an event, helping with aircraft, solving problems, or just helping wherever needed. Our airport is a much better place because you’re a part of it. Now take a well deserved break! Other photos from the meeting:
Tammy Meredith, AAA
january joint eaa meeting
Don Wolfe, Chris Haven, and new Airport Mayor, Ben Foss
Dwayne Browning presenting his book: "Chasing The Dragon"
Doug McDougall, Greg Duda, Marleen Wekell (Treasuer), Steve Kendall (Young Eagles Director), Michelle White (Vice President EAA), Andy Robinson (President EAA)
Tyghe Richardson, Airport Manager, with a months worth of Aiport FOD from our runway
Setup and good management volunteers Joanie Mooneyham, Mona Anderson, and our lead, Bonnie Wilson
Michelle White and Ken Lux, who gave a presentation about his nonprofit orginization Flights to Freedom
Members, Dale Head and his wife, Winnifred Ward
photo gallery
Test Pilot Andrew Van Wagner landing on 7 at KAUN and on an aircraft carrier. It was a beautiful day in the new simulator, now in the Mach5 hangar! It was squalling and rainy outside in real life.
Anthony "The Judge" Tisdale, Brandon Browne, Josh "Cabo" Gunderson
Do you remember Lt. Col Josh "Cabo" Gunderson,the F-22 Raptor Demonstration pilot who presented at our Aviation Career Day in 2024? Josh recently attended jet simulator training in Texas and who was his instructor? None other than our retired Auburn Aviation Association President,Randy Leys! Proving once again that it's a very small world in aviation.Best wishes "Josh and Randy" !
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OFFICERS President - Chris Haven - president@auburnaviationassociation.org Vice President - Dan Flom - vp@auburnaviationassociation.org Secretary - Doug Fee - secretary@auburnaviationassociation.org Treasurer - David Dwelle - treasurer@auburnaviationassociation.org BOARD MEMBERS Past President - Doug McDougal - pastpres@auburnaviationassociation.org Scholarship Director - Don Wolfe - flyfund@auburnaviationassociation.org Assistant Scholarship - James Jacobson - skyfund1539@gmail.com Membership Director - Daniel Colburn - membership@auburnaviationassociation.org Publicity Director - David Sanborn - publicity@auburnaviationassociation.org Propwash Editor - Mike Duncan - duncan7kcab@sbcglobal.net 5AC Chair - Ken Dwelle - 5ac@auburnaviationassociation.org Board Member at Large - Joanie Mooneyham - joaniemoon05@gmail.com Donations Coordinator - Nancy Benjamin - don_benj@pacbell.net Special thanks to Brooklyn Brown for laying out the newsletter and David Sanborn for managing distribution of the newsletter.
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