Mr. Know-It-All
If you fly at SLRCFA, you'll know Jonathon Hendrickson. He's the (relatively young) guy who flies just about everything and knows a lot about all types of aircraft. Jonathon is a go-to guy for electric flight, FPV, drone photography, racing planes, battery maintenance, charging equipment, engine tuning, full-scale pilot licensing and even riding mower repair. He even created our Pilot Instruction program.
He's "Mr. Know-It-All" in the best way possible. On top of all that, for the last two years, he was the ultimate go-to guy: the SLRCFA President.
Jonathon stepped down as President in 2017 after serving on the board since... well, I think since 2007 (I'm not the best record-keeper that far back). The last two years would have been a challenge for any leader, with two floods and a sea-change in our cost structure (and subsequently, dues) due to a large property tax increase. Beyond that, changes in leadership are always potentially difficult, and Jonathon took over from Stan King, who had been President for well-past a decade (Stan was honored with a plaque for service and a lifetime SLRCFA membership in 2016, along with long-time Treasurer, Ron Lawson).
Clearly, Jonathon stepped up during 2015/2016 to a multi-year stint that required a great deal of change. During his tenure, Jonathon led the following successful changes:
- The field never looks better, despite two 500-year floods requiring thoughtful repair with an eye to "it could happen again" - and it did! We now have a modular approach to our electrical de-installation/re-installation that saves us literally thousands of in the event of a flood
- Implementation of the QuickSTART program with his Pilot Instruction methodology adapted from a successful RC training regime. We brought on 21 people under this program in 2017.
- Growth of the club back to 102 members - 36 of them were new in 2017!
- The introduction of the premium PRIME Membership, with 24 electing PRIME in 2016 and 28 electing PRIME in 2017
- 2017 ended with an increase in cash in the bank of about $3k, despite the 2017 flood which topped the 2016 flood.
- ...any many other successful changes too numerous to mention.
As outgoing Vice President, I can say that Jonathon was a joy to work with, having a brilliant mind that grasps problems and finds solutions quickly. I truly enjoyed serving with him. Never one to fear some experimentation when change is needed, Jonathon led us exceptionally both as a Newletter Editor, Director and eventually as our President.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Jonathon Hendrickson!
--Marshall L. Henley, 2018 Incoming SLRCFA President
