Dwight Van Zanen

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Update: It saddens us to report that Dwight perished in his Avid Mark IV plane in an accident near JAARS Townsend Airport located near Waxhaw, NC on Monday, March 26, 2012. The accident is currently under investigation by the FAA and NTSB. Our sincere condolences go to his wife and family. He was a skilled pilot and great guy. We will sincerely miss him. May he rest in peace Sad Emoticon

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     Dwight Van Zanen came to us from the great state of Washington. You can't get much further away in the USA than that! Not only that, but he will be commuting back and forth twice each year between SC and Washington. He joined our chapter in November of 2011. We are happy to have Dwight as a member of our chapter and welcome him and his family to our area. Here is his background in his own words:

     "I am new to South Carolina, and Maria and I will split time between Maple Valley, WA and West Columbia, SC. We have 4 children, and three are currently on the east coast. I have a PP/ASEL/IA pilot cert; however, I am letting my Class 3 medical expire and will be flying under Sport Pilot rules. I just bought the Avid Mk 4 Speedwing in the pictures. This is a bit of a change for me, since most of my flying the last few years has been in a Piper Cherokee 180. The Avid was finished in 2002, and has a Jabiru 2200 engine, BRS, EFIS and GPS. The trailer in the picture was designed by the last owner, and permits me to keep it in a garage at home - actually at my son's home here in SC since his garage is easier to get it into. It is a one man operation to load and unload, using a winch. The plan is to trailer it between SC and WA and back each year, for a while at least.

     I am retired from the fire service, after 30+ years. I was the Fire Chief for Maple Valley, WA for 21 years, and then Fire Chief for Vista, CA for 2 years. I left Vista, and returned to Maple Valley, when I was found to have cancer in my spine. Treatment was at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. I have been retired since then. I am cancer free now, and thankful to God for each new day. So far I have three grand daughters born since my illness. Two are just down the street from us (with the plane). I am looking forward to getting to know the other Chapter members, and some of the airports around here."

Here is the Avid Mark IV Speedwing which Dwight recently purchased. The photo of Dwight was taken at our chapter meeting on March 18, 2012. Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge them.

Dwight's Avid Speedwing #1     Dwight Frontal View     Dwight's Avid Speed Wing #2

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