AFA MISSION
Our mission is to promote dominant U.S. Air & Space Forces as the foundation of a strong National Defense; to honor and support our Airmen, Guardians, and their Families; and to remember and respect our enduring Heritage.
To accomplish this, we:
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EDUCATE the public on the critical need for unrivaled aerospace power and promote aerospace and STEM education for a technically superior and professional workforce to ensure national security;
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ADVOCATE and promote aerospace power to favorably shape policy and resourcing decisions to guarantee the strongest aerospace forces in the world;
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SUPPORT Airmen, Guardians, and the families of the Total Air Force and Space Force, including Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve, civilians, families, and members of the Civil Air Patrol.
Meeting Dates & Speakers
NEXT MEETING
AFA Newsletter
Next Scheduled Meeting
Date: March 23rd, 2024
On Saturday, March 23rd, at 1:00 PM, you are cordially invited to our next luncheon meeting at the Florham Park Diner.
Speaker: Dale “Bud” Leopold.
NOTICE:
This months meeting is a week earlier than normal because we have 4 members attending the Mitchell Institute 3rd Space Power Security Forum, at the Army Navy country club 5 Star Ballroom on MARCH 27th
Dale “Bud” L. Leppard, retired Airline Captain, Engineer, will give a talk on “Lockerbie.”
On December 28, 1988, a bomb exploded in a Pan American B-747 over Lockerbie, Scotland. All aboard were killed, including 16 crewmembers, 243 passengers and 11 persons on the ground, a total of 270 people. He was hired by the law firm of Kreindler & Kreindler in New York City to be an expert witness in the lawsuit that was filed against Pan American.
In preparation for the trial, he read more than 7,000 pages of mostly classified material. The trial lasted for 3 months, and by the end of the trial, the jurors had forgotten a lot of the earlier testimony. He was therefore hired as the wrap-up witness, and was on the witness stand most of three days. He was charged with describing the whole event from start to finish.
He will describe the events as they happened with respect to who planted the bomb, and how it was done. At the end of the trial, the families of the deceased were awarded a large sum of money, which he will describe.
Bud is a retired airline pilot with 22,300 flight hours. He was also a Simulator Instructor and Contract Pilot with CAE SimuFlite Inc., Whippany, NJ.
He was awarded the “FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for Flying for Over 50 Years Without an Accident or Major Incident.”
The Shooting Star Chapter, AF195, of the Air & Space Forces Association normally meets on the last Saturday of the month from January to May and September and October with the meetings currently being held at 1:00 PM in the Florham Park Diner, 182 Ridgedale Ave., Florham Park, NJ.
See the Past Meetings for greater detail, Images, Video and Information.
See our Videos of Past Meetings!
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