Don 'FH' Fiveash Class Delta Memorial Fly-In May 12th

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Starting on Saturday, May 12 at 15:00 PST (23:00Z) and ending at 21:00 PST (05:00Z)

In honor of a great man http://forums.vatsim.net/viewtopic.php?t=9669, ZLA is proud to present the 1st Annual Don Fiveash VFR Memorial Fly-In.

Don's contribution to VATUSA's Los Angeles ARTCC in the areas of pilot training, controller training, and VFR awareness was monumental. At a time when

most pilots and controllers had their sights set on working big towers, approach and center, Don chose to staff the tower of one of his old stomping grounds, Santa Monica (KSMO), a small field just a few miles northwest of Los Angeles.

Night after night, he plugged in for hours at a time, providing wonderful, friendly service to the one or two pilots that would show up. Word quickly spread that on any given night, a fun little field was being worked by a knowledgeable controller who would bend over backwards to help people out with the basics of flight, be it pattern work, phraseology, or just how to fly the plane.

Don quickly developed a following of pilots, and later, other student controllers who elected to work Santa Monica in his absence, rather than KLAX. The VFR movement at ZLA quickly gathered steam, and simply wouldn’t have happened if Don hadn’t picked up the torch.

Don was also an avid mentor to our student controllers, working countless hours showing students the basics, and then later, the finer points of running a tower properly and efficiently.

Don is a VATSIM great, and is missed immensely by all who knew him.

This event will feature fully-staffed Class Delta airports. While these fields routinely handle all types of traffic, VFR flights are particularly encouraged, between these smaller Southern California airports.

Socal TRACON facilities and Los Angeles Center will also be staffed for your flying enjoyment.