Sky Writing's shiny new trophy was turned over to the Warsaw Aero club Thursday night and will go on the block for the first time in a stupendous, colossal and tremendous New Year's day air race.

The trophy goes to the winner. His name will be inscribed permanently thereon for posterity and to gather dust. He will keep it at his home base until the next Aero club-sponsored event at which he must defend it.

There will be further rules, regulations and "it says down here in fine print" ideas to be announced later by an appropriate committee of the Warsaw Aero club.

For the air race or sweepstakes New Year's day, pilots will like an offer which came from Warsaw's Gulf gasoline mogul, Bill Warren. He will furnish all the fuel for the race free of charge. I repeat, pilots, free of charge--and the winner gets a trophy.

By judicial use of aspirin, black coffee and cold showers, all pilots should be in shape to participate. An entry blank for the New Year's day event will be found elsewhere on this page. All pilots who wish to enter, fill in a coupon now, mail it to member E. Kaye-Smith, Winona Lake, Ind. Entries close Dec. 15th. This will give the committee time to send you a list of rules, provide a schedule adequate to supply enough airplanes for all who wish to enter, etc.

The race is not what it sounds like at all, but a cross-country flight of 100 miles, three-sided course. Judges consider speed, fuel consumption, skill at flying and navigating on a percentage formula which gives a man flying a Cub as much chance to win as the pilot of a Bonanza.

It's a dilly! fill in the blank and mail it now. The gas is free and the trophy is your for the winning.

Warsaw Aero club members will now have a clubhouse in which to hold meetings, loaf evenings, do some hangar flying. Howard and Wilbur Smith offered the use of the Smith field office, which is really a sizable little building.

If the boys will pay a little extra on the lights and a portion of the heating cost, it is theirs 24 hours a day. It was agreed to try the arrangement out for a while or until someone had abetter idea. Members may have keys made to the Aero clubhouse, enter it at will. Nice!

Owen Truman showed movies of night flying and pleasure flying to a full house preceding the business session. President Tay Hess and Treasurer Gene Beigh announced that it was now time to pay the pledges made for the Warsaw Municipal Airport Improvement fund.

The meeting was well attended, by pilots from all around Kosciusko county, both Smith and Municipal airports. I know it smells, but how in the heck can you report a club meeting any other way? Mrs. Orr, I sympathize with you!

Aviation advancement comes to Warsaw! Those stall-warning devices Sky Writing has been harping about for some time are being installed on Paul Lowman's Ercoupe as an experimental measure. Will fly the darn thing one of these days, and give you a report on its usefulness. The great killer during the past year has been the stall-type accident and many of these were high-speed stalls. Many pilots approach a high-speed stall in abrupt turns without knowing it. This new device flashes a red light, blows a horn when a wing approaches a stall at any speed. I think it's a great invention.

Once again let me remind you to start reserving your airplane now for the New Year's day air race. fill out the entry blank and get it in, so the committee can contact you with the full dope.

Warsaw Daily Times, Fri. Dec. 12, 1947