PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Greetings and Welcome Aboard!

Looks like you chose to join the ranks of RUPA whether you’re recently retired or still flying the line. Either way, you are joining an organization that will allow you to continue the friendships you’ve established during your professional career. RUPA is an organization that fosters friendship and camaraderie through social and recreational events. If you’re retired, you may think you will be able to sit back and chill out. No more studying for your trip to DTK, no concerns or decisions about equipment or monthly bidding, and if you happened to be a commuter, no more Weather Channel or listing for your flights back and forth to work and hoping you’ll get onboard. You may find you’ll be busier than ever, just as I did. I’ll tell you, if there were 48 hours in each and every day, I’m sure I’d fill them all up! If you still happen to be working out there on the line, thank you for your continuing efforts to safely take care of the traveling public, including us retirees.

Retirement will no doubt offer some opportunities you may have considered but never got around to actually doing. Now you’ll be able to “sit in the back and enjoy the ride” visit all the places you looked down on and wondered what it was like down there. Maybe you’ll buy that motor home and visit Elko, Nevada, just to see what’s there. Maybe you’ll finally take up SCUBA diving or head out on that cruise you always thought about. You’ll have time to become more involved in community, charitable, and social activities if you so choose. You may even consider staying involved in aviation though flight instructing, teaching ground school, seeking out a corporate job, buying the airplane of your dreams, or something else that piques your interest. With the skills you developed over years of training there’s no doubt you’ll be invited to move into a leadership position if you so desire./p>

One of the wonderful functions in RUPA is the regional monthly luncheons. You’ll have the opportunity to gather with many of the friends you made over the years in the skies. You may even tie in some of your travels by coordinating visits to these luncheons in other areas of the country. Then there’s the RUPA Annual Reunion where you can gather with many others from all over the country. The 2023 RUPA Reunion tied in with the Retired United Airlines Employees Association (RUAEA) and the Association of Retired Employees of Continental Airlines (ARECA) and their reunion in San Diego at the Dana Hotel, a first for our organization. Hopefully this will be something that we will continue with in the future as it will allow all retirees to speak in one strong and cohesive voice in addressing our issues with the company.

Speaking of RUPA get togethers, you will be able to see the read the stories of these events in the RUPANEWS magazine along with some great photos of your friends. The RUPANEWS also provides up to date information including travel, R & I, aviation industry, and medical issues and updates, just to name a few. You’ll also find stories and letters, including some “There I was” events, from members that may jog your memory a bit and get you to contribute something as well about your travels, or just a friendly update as to your current status or changes in your life. You will also find contact information for the RUPA committees and the monthly luncheons. A big thanks to Cleve Spring and George Cox for their efforts in putting together this wonderful and informative publication.

The RUPA website, www.RUPA.org, is chocked full of information as well. You’ll have the ability to renew your membership, contact committee chairs, read archived RUPANEWS publications, and seek out other members along with their contact information. RUPA has an “eBlast” system as well in an effort to get more immediate information out to you right away if needed.

I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce and acknowledge your all volunteer RUPA team: Vice President John Yackus, Secretary/Treasurer John Rains, RUPANEWS Editor & eBlast Chair George Cox, Membership Chair Lori Muir, R&I Chair Bob Engelman, Travel Rep Pat Palazzolo, Facebook Chair Cort de Peyster, and Area Representative Chair & Facebook Administrator John Gorczyca. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our Widows’ Coordinators Carol Morgan and Patti Melin for the important role they play in our organization. We all here to serve you and your needs as a member of RUPA.

In closing, I’d like to express my thanks and appreciation to the RUPA BOD for their faith and trust in me to step into this role over the next two years. We all share a common bond, that piece of plastic in your wallet that puts us in the front row of a commercial airliner. Not many people can be entrusted to take a piece of equipment valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, with hundreds of trusting souls onboard, and flying it all over the world sometimes hours from the nearest place to land and do it safely day in and day out. Each of us is one of those top-level professionals who share in that very special distinction. RUPA allows us to keep our bonds strong through friendship, camaraderie with recreational and social events. Once again, "Welcome Aboard!"

Captain Dan Petrovich - Retired
President, Retired United Pilots Association
UAL retired 2022