Submitted by Gerry Clare, Roving Reporter
Photos by Tom and Gerry Clare
Jerry Kawecki, President of the Friends of Fernandina Aviation , opened the presentation by noting that January 11th was the anniversary of Amelia Earhart, becoming the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California. He then went into a little history about the Fernandina Beach airport, which was leased to the Federal government for the Army Corps of Engineers on May 26, 1943 and became an adjunct training field for NS Jax. He mentioned that the Civil Air Patrol also played a vital role during the war with ocean surveillance and the sinking of 2 German submarines. This lease was terminated on July 9, 1947 and was turned over to Fernandina.
The plaque commemorates this history and is situated by the McGill Aviation building. It was unveiled to a group of observers, including city commissioners, Friends of Fernandina Aviation members including Paul Griffin and Lew Eason who worked on the project McGill Aviation, and other interested parties
The Friends of Fernandina Aviation consists of members who “help increase public knowledge of Aerospace/Aviation through college courses, aviation orientation and career information for Schools, educational scholarships, community outreach and aerospace/aviation education,” They also help staff the USO facility at Jacksonville International Airport. For further information on FOFA, see www.fofaviation.com .
Editor’s Note: Gerry began free lance writing for fun and is the author of a published book (available on Amazon and at Books Plus) about funny real estate experiences. Gerry is a longtime member of our local American Business Women’s Chapter, a volunteer cancer driver and church deacon who loves to read, travel and meet interesting people.
January 13, 2014 11:15 a.m.
Gerry
Fantastic review. Thanks to the Observer for the support you give to FOFA. Although a little known organization, we are not only very active in the support of aviation but also devoted to helping the community wherever we can.