2024 Director Elections
Non-Owner Seats (1 Open)
Craig Fuller
I have been a pilot since 1982 and a member of Plus One Flyers for the past 18 years. I have been an attorney for nearly 33 years and since 2012 I have acted as legal counsel for Plus One Flyers. As a director on the Board of Directors for Plus One Flyers I attend all meetings and help guide the board and club with all aspects of setting policy and ensuring the club continues to uphold its high legal standards when dealing with our members the FAA or the public at large. I provide advice and assistance to the Board when there is an incident involving our members, airplanes or need for changes to the manner in which the Board interacts with outside agencies. I have acted as legal liaison for the board between litigants and insurance companies involving any incidents or accidents that have occurred in club aircraft and represents the boards interests when a challenge is brought from individual or agency.
I have truly enjoyed my time on the board and believe it is important to bring a legal perspective to all the actions the board takes to protect the club, ensure compliance and avoid legal entanglements. I also believe it is our voice that needs to be heard as a Board to assist political allies in helping to keep our right to fly unhampered by further restrictive laws, taxes and fees imposed just because we can fly.
In order to return to the Board and continue to represent you and the Plus One, I respectfully request you provide me your vote to continue on the Board of Directors. Thank you for your consideration.
John Scott
I’m running for re-election to the board as the only non-owner seat in this year’s election. As a board member my primary focus has been, and will continue to be, representing the cares and concerns of the everyday regular renting member. This is a perspective that represents the overwhelming majority of the club membership, yet is vastly underrepresented on the board. I also take pride in creating, and enhancing, a sense of community within the club with such initiatives as the Facebook group, social happy hours, and destination fly-outs that go beyond the $100 hamburger.
I first joined Plus One Flyers in 2016 after moving to San Diego from Tampa, Florida. Having struggled to maintain currency in the past when I didn’t have enough reasons to fly and couldn’t justify spending money to fly in circles just to stay proficient, I was hoping for a different experience in San Diego. When I joined Plus One, I was looking for more than access to airplanes. I also wanted reasons to fly and pilots to fly with. When I first joined I found the community experience to be virtually non-existent, unless you wanted to hang around Gibbs all day. So I started going to board meetings and seeing what I could do to create that community that I craved myself.
I attended every board meeting in my first 2 years as a new member and during that time created the Plus One Flyers Facebook Group, which has grown to over 1000 club members and counting. I’ve also organized dozens of group fly-outs to destinations such as Catalina, Big Bear, Mammoth, Sedona, Oceano, Death Valley, and Kernville, as well as regular happy hour events at Casa Machado (which draw 20-30 like-minded pilots each time, so come on out!). For those not on Facebook I also created a mailing list so you can keep up to date on all these latest happenings via email. Hopefully you’re aware of these types of events in the club, even if you haven’t yet participated, and I encourage you to come out to a Happy Hour or Fly-Out sometime if you’re looking to grow your aviation circle. If you need more information or help getting connected, feel free to email me at johnbeforescott@gmail.com, even if you don’t vote for me!
My experience is that the board is an unsung group of members who genuinely care about this club and volunteer their time and effort to keep it humming for us all. As the only current member of the board who is not an aircraft owner, CFI, Legal Counsel, or employee, I bring a unique perspective that is free from any financial or professional conflicts of interest. This allows me to advocate purely for the best interests of our members and the future of our club. It would be an honor to continue to serve on the board to keep Plus One Flyers moving in the right direction for all stakeholders for years to come.
Owner Seats (7 Open)
Alireza Alivandivafa
Based on the request and recommendation of multiple club members, and my experience as a board member and advocate for the last two years, I am again running for an owner position on the board of directors.
I am an instrument rated private pilot. I co-own two airplanes, one in the club, and fly actively with club members in support of all of our goals. I have been flying for nearly five years, and have a lifelong love and passion for aviation. My membership in Plus One has been eye opening in just how much I love not only aviation personally, but how much I enjoy working with other pilots to make ourselves better and safer. As a director, my main focus would be on working to improve club safety, pilot proficiency and member camaraderie, as well as looking to see the club grow and continue to serve pilots in Southern California. Additionally, I continue to be a young(er), vociferous voice for the fair treatment of our non owner membership as well as for taking care of our fleet so owners keep being part of the club.
Professionally, I am a full time mediator, making me a small business owner as well. I believe my professional perspective can also help the club as it continues to grow.
I look forward to continuing to serve the membership.
Gregg Beaty
I would like your support in my bid for re-election to the Plus One Flyers Board of Directors’, in the upcoming election. My love of flying, commitment to service and desire to see continued positive growth of the club are my motivations for seeking to remain on the Board.
I have served on the Board as a non-owner from 2013-2015 and as an owner from 2016-2024. My years of service on the Plus One Flyers Board have been an educational process. I have developed a sound understanding of the functioning of the club from a pilots, instructor’s, board members and executive perspective and am currrently serving as the Club’s President, having been appointed in July of 2021.
My flying background spans the past 19 years and 5,000+ hours, all starting as a Plus One Flyers Member. I received my private certificate in 2005. The challenges and joys of flight have since led me to advanced ratings including CFI, CFII and MEI and ATP. In addition to teaching, I fly my personal P210 and co-own N83679, the club’s Super Cub. I also have over 1,100 hours of contract flying in several Pilatus PC12’s.
My goals are to continue to help guide the clubs growth in a safe and responsible manner, build our strategic financial reserves to keep our insurance coverage in force, ensure access to quality aircraft for our members and enhance high quality educational opportunities for the general membership within the club structure.
Business experience:
- 2011-present: President/Chief Pilot Pro-Air Ventures. Providing flight instruction, aircraft management services, contract pilot services and hard money lending for residential real estate rehabilitation
- 1990-2015 Director: Center for Oral, Maxillofacial and Implant Reconstructive Surgery
- 2004-2011 Director: Point Loma Community Bank/Sunrise Bank San Diego
Thanks for considering me to represent you on the Board our world class club.
Rick Garza
Some of my first logged flights with Plus One Flyers date back as far as 1990’s. Prior to that I have flow in other flight schools and clubs in the San Diego area and discovered that POF stood out as some of the best flying experiences I have had to date.
Over the years POF has remained one of the best flying clubs in the world! It is the only place I know of where a vast majority of some of the greatest Pilots known past and present have passed through.
If I could list some of the reasons why POF is such a great place to come, join, and fly it is because of the Staff, Equipment, and most importantly Members. As a member and Instructor (34 & 25 years), and aircraft owner in club. I now seek your endorsement for a position on the Board of Director for POF.
My background includes Military Contractor for Navsea San Diego, Crownair Parts and Fuel service, Corporate, Emergency Medical Services part 135 Chief Pilot, and flying Military Special Forces as a civilian contractor. My education is mainly in Aviation, Safety and business. I have an AS in Aviation Flight Operations (Cuyamaca Community) and BS in Professional Aeronautics with a Safety and Business minor from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.
Over the years I have come to know most of the businesses at Montgomery, Gillespie and Carlsbad airports. Have flown extensively over USA, Mexico and Canada.
I believe I would make a great addition to the BOD at POF and find it an honor supporting the Club staff, Owners and Members. I will absolutely do my best to keep Plus One Flyers the best Flying Club in the World! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!
Dave Gordon
I am asking for your vote for my re-election to the Plus One Flyers Board of Directors. I’ve been a member of Plus One for more than 25 years, on the Board for most of that time, first as a non-owner and then as an owner. I’m an active owner and CFII in the club with five C172’s and a Duchess online. All of my aircraft are well equipped and well maintained and I do my best to make sure they are available to all at reasonable rental rates.
As one of 15 directors, I advocate for all members and believe it is our director’s responsibility to ensure the club is operated in a fair and open manner serving all members in an impartial manner. I’m at the airport almost every day, talking to members, answering questions and listening to concerns.
I am involved in several other aviation organizations, helping to support our freedom to fly.
I believe Plus One is the best flying club in the country and it has gotten there because of the efforts of a relatively small group of people. I am proud to have been a part of those efforts and if re-elected, will continue to do so. I ask for your support. If you have questions or concerns about club issues or business, feel free to contact me.
Jim Kapenas
My name is James Kapenas and I’ve been a plusone member for 24 years. I am a senior instructor in the club and also a Master and Gold Seal Flight instructor. I currently own five airplanes in the club. I am imbedded in aviation as an active flight instructor within the club, charter pilot and former airline pilot. I have a vested interest in seeing Plus One Flyers excel as an organization and to ensure that each member is well represented and treated with dignity and respect. It is a responsibility that I do not take lightly! It would be an honor to serve on the board of directors and represent our owners and members once again. Thank you for your consideration.
Larry Massaro
I am running for a seat on the Plus One Flyers Board of Directors as an Owner Director. I have been a member of this great organization as a member since 2003. I have previously served as a Director on the Board from 2007 to 2021. During my tenure as a Director, I also served the club as President from 2011 to 2017, and again in 2018 through 2021. I have also served the club as Treasurer since 2021. I have owned three club aircraft over the last 20 years and in the last two years have primarily focused on flying “real” airplanes (i.e., tailwheels).
Over the past twenty plus years, I have seen this club grow from a few hundred members to over 2,500. This level of growth has presented the club with many issues and growing pains that have been successfully managed by our Board of Directors over this period. I would bring my prior Board experience and corporate management expertise in assisting the Bord of Directors to managing this growth and to protect and maintain the high level of excellence in member service, club management, and financial health that has become expected from Plus One Flyers.
I have recently “semi-retired” from the engineering firm I co-founded and now have the time to dedicate to serving the Board of Plus One Flyers again, My main focus would be to implement change, only when needed, to continue provide our members with superior service while maintaining our current low membership dues rates. When I was president and Director, I frequently spoke of how our organization has grown such that we are no longer a “club” or a “social organization” as some would like to think we are. Plus One Flyers is a Corporation and needs to be run as one. This sometimes is not the most popular approach, but it is how I believe the Board must guide Plus One Flyers to ensure our continued success. I believe that as a Director on the Board of Plus One Flyers, I can contribute to that goal.
Thank you for your consideration.
Kevin May
I have been a Plus One member for 20 years, a Plus One CFI for 8 years, and a Plus One owner for about 1.5 years (I own N28GK, the Super Decathlon at MYF). I believe that Plus One is one of the best flying clubs on the planet for a number of reasons, including the diversity of flying opportunities available to members and the community of pilots and CFIs that are passionate about flying. As my involvement with the club has grown through the years, I have become more interested and involved in the direction of the club. I have decided to run for the Board of Directors to give back to the club, and hopefully bring about a few improvements to make a great club even better.
Plus One Flyers is a large and complex organization. I have experience managing large and complex organizations. As a Project Manager for the Navy, I manage several unmanned systems projects. I currently oversee about 145 people and manage an annual budget of $62M. I have a master’s degree in Program Management from Naval Postgraduate School, and I am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
While I believe that my management experience may provide some utility to the Board, I don’t think that is the greatest value I will bring to the board and the club. The current board has ensured that the business aspect of the club is on solid footing. I believe I can provide the most value to the club by applying experience gained during my 25 years of service in Naval Special Warfare to enhance the team aspect of the club. The Navy SEAL Teams are successful organizations because they are exactly that – Teams. Plus One Flyers is a team as well. A team of renters, owners, CFIs, and support staff, all working towards a common goal of making Plus One Flyers the best flying club in the world. Applying the principles of highly successful teams to the operation of the club will help achieve that goal. I have some tangible ideas regarding how to do that which I look forward to discussing at the election membership meeting and future board meetings.
I hope you will join me in making Team Plus One an even better club! I would appreciate your vote for a position on the board.
Tom Reid
My name is Tom Reid, and I would like to be re-elected to the board of directors, so please vote for me. For those who know me, please accept my apologies for writing much the same thing each time I come up for reelection. This will be the 12th time, (24 years of service) if my memory serves me correctly. But the mission has not changed, and neither have I. Flying is my passion and a major part of my life. Plus One got me there, and for that, I will be eternally grateful.
I own a 25% share of N756RA, a beautifully restored CR182. I have been a member of Plus One for more than 29 years. I have served as an owner-director for most of that time and was President from 1999-2003. I serve on the budget committee and the safety committee and have served on many other committees to help the club accomplish specific goals or solve problems. I am the “Owner Ambassador”, the guy that talks to people about putting airplanes in the club so they have a realistic picture of what they should expect from a club lease-back. New owners often don’t realize that the club is a non-profit organization, and when you buy an airplane and lease it to Plus One, it’s like owning your own small business. It’s important to vet these inquiries so that we have good, responsible owners who put the right aircraft in the club. We recently turned away a Navajo Chieftain, which was probably not a good match for P1! During my last term, I wrote the Code of Conduct for the board of directors because I believe all of the directors, myself included, need to be held to a higher standard, and to avoid conflicts of interest. I also wrote the club SWOT report (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) and set up an annual SWOT analysis. Believe me, there are a lot more threats and weaknesses than strengths. (see my Facebook post, 2 May) We are potentially one accident or one political opponent away from disaster. I believe that the board of directors, especially guided by our current president, are doing a fantastic job of keeping the club running and solvent in spite of all these challenges, but make no mistake, the club members need to choose their directors wisely, or our success may not continue.
Currently, I am working with the board to try to reduce costly pilot errors that damage airplanes (an ongoing effort), and we also should prepare for the loss of key personnel. There are a few key people who do everything, and it would be a disaster if they decided not to be involved in the club anymore. We are closely watching the ongoing development of Executive Airpark, where most of the airplanes at MYF are parked. And, because I am a glutton for punishment, I chair of the City of San Diego Airport Advisory Committee (AAC), to try my best to make sure MYF and SDM stay vibrant and friendly to GA.
If elected, I will continue to work to keep the club strong and safe; I will make sound and practical financial decisions, and to do as much as I can to keep aviation alive and affordable for us members. This is an amazing flying club, and it takes an unbelievable amount of effort, both paid and volunteer, to keep it running. The great people in operations keep the club running smoothly, but they need our support. I have gotten so much from Plus One that I want to give back, and that’s why I serve on the board. I serve for the fun of being around other aviators, but also because I am afraid that if we do not all pitch in and help, someday the club might disappear as we know it and we will weep for what we had. This is not only the largest flying club on the planet, but the best, by a mile. Let’s work together to keep it that way.
On a personal note, I have a commercial SEL certificate with an instrument rating with high performance, complex, and tail dragger endorsements, and a SES (sea plane rating) that I got from Jack Brown’s in J3 Cubs on floats. I have been checked out in 42 different kinds of GA aircraft, thanks to P1. My favorite airplane for going places is N756RA, our 182RG, and when I’m not trying to get somewhere, I love to fly around the pattern and practice landings in my beautiful blue and yellow 1941 Stearman. At last count, I had over 2900 accident free hours, and 800 of those hours were tailwheel. I’ve been married 37 years to the love of my life, who loves to fly in the right seat. Life is good, let’s keep flying!
John Sanders
I never thought when I joined Plus One Flyers in 2005 that I would still be a member 19 years later. I started in the Club as a student pilot and worked my way to CFII, partner in N756RA, and have been a member of the board of directors for about 9 of my 19 years in the Club.
It just goes to show Plus One Flyers is such an amazing organization with very dedicated membership, volunteers, and employees. I’ve been fortunate to work with very talented board members from all walks of life, who have a common love of aviation and a desire for the success of the Club. Back in 2005, Plus One had around 600-700 members and about 30-35 aircraft. Plus One now has over 2,400 members and around 90-100 aircraft.
A great deal of the success and growth of the Club may be attributed to the talented previous and current board members who’ve volunteered their time over the years to make Plus One what it is today.
I ask for your support and vote as Owner/Director for Plus One Board of Directors. I want to continue volunteering to help keep Plus One Flyers the best and largest flying Club in North America, if not the world.
