USUA Annual Meeting In America's Heartland
February 28, 2004
Springfield, Illinois

USUA Annual Meeting:

The United States Ultralight Association will hold its 2004 Annual Member Meeting February 28, 2004, in Springfield, Illinois, at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.The mid-winter event will be held in conjunction with the 24th Annual Illinois Ultralight Advisory Council (IUAC) Ultralight/Lightplane Safety Seminar. USUA is proud to be part of this beneficial and long-standing event and we invite our members to share the experience. Between USUA business meetings that are also being held during that weekend, the USUA Board of Directors, Staff and Regional Representatives will be on hand to greet members and prospective members.

The Meeting and Seminar will be held in the Illinois Building & Auditorium on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. This building houses a 400-seat theater and a 12,270 sq. ft. auditorium. Aircraft and vendor displays will all be under the same roof. These Manufacturers, dealers, and vendors will exhibit during the weekend and USUA invites its members to take advantage of this opportunity to shop in plenty of time for the 2004 flying season.

Registration for both events will begin at 8:00AM at the fairgrounds. A full day of activities are planned, culminating with the USUA Member Meeting and Awards Ceremony.

Following the Annual Member Meeting, the day will conclude with the presentation of the USUA Ultralight Awards Ceremony. This occasion honors outstanding individuals who have been involved in various facets of the ultralight industry and community. The most prestigious of these awards is the Moody Award -- named for John Moody, who many consider to be the father of American ultralighting. This yeah, the Moody Awards will be presented to Jack McCornack.

24th Annual IUAC Ultralight/Lightplane Safety Seminar:

The Illinois Ultralight/Light Plane Safety Seminar is the oldest and largest gathering of its type. Established in the 80's to address safety concerns with the then newly emerged sport of ultralighting, the IUAC advises the FAA and the Illinois Department of Transportation on ultralight issues, in addition to organizing the annual safety seminar.

Since moving to the Illinois Building on the Springfield, Illinois Fairgrounds, the Safety Seminar has been able to offer the 12,000+ square foot convention area to organizations in the ultralight industry to display everything from organizational literature to complete aircraft including -- fixed wing, trikes, powered parachutes, rotorcraft, and powered paragliders. As a service to the industry, there is no charge for those organizations that wish to display.

USUA Sponsored BFI Clinic/Refresher Course And AFI Seminar:

USUA will be holding a BFI Clinic / AFI Seminar on Sunday February 29, 2004, the day following the Annual Meeting and Safety Seminar.

Registration begins at 8AM, with the BFI Clinic starting at 8:15AM and ending at 12:30PM. The AFI Seminar continues at 12:45PM and ends around 5:30PM. AFI Seminar attendees must attend the BFI Clinic. The BFI Clinic fee is $35.00.

Seminar presenter, Jim Sweeney (USUA AFI #10798), will be conducting the clinic. It will cover everything from training techniques to program administration to Sport Pilot conversion. The AFI test will be administered at the conclusion of the AFI Seminar. Fixed Wing, Trike, Powered Parachute and Powered Paraglider BFIs and AFI's from any FAA recognized ultralight training program are welcome, as well as any other interested individuals.

To become a USUA AFI, applicants must:

If you are already an AFI with another organization, and wish to become a USUA AFI, you must also submit the following with your application:

Pre-register NOW by emailing your NAME, ADDRESS, AFFILIATION & MEMBER NUMBER (USUA, USHGA, EAA, ASC, etc.) to USUA. A $35 registration fee will be charged at the door.

Directions:

To get to the festivities, take the I-55 Sangamon Avenue exit (Exit A-B) and go west on Sangamon to the main gate entrance of the state fairgrounds (north side of Sangamon Avenue). The event will be held in the first building (Illinois Building) on your left as you enter the fairgrounds. Look for the Abe Lincoln statue, which is adjacent to the Illinois Building. Ample parking is available just past the Illinois Building on the left.

You may also wish to view the map from the Illinois State Fairground website.