The program speaker at the Thursday, March 1, Rotary Club of Edina meeting was Mike Johnson, senior vice president of operations for SkySnopes. He talked about "Drones—What Can They Really Do?" Mike is the son of Rotarian Doug Johnson.
Past president Jennifer Bennerotte introduced a Legacy Video featuring longtime Rotarian Arthur Rouner.
Josh and Kelly Sprague were honored as Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation by past president Scott MacDonald at the meeting.
Click on the link below for more about the meeting...
President San Asato called the meeting to order.
He reviewed the upcoming events:
- City of Edina Mayor Volunteer Recognition Awards (postponed due to the weather)
- Happy Hour/Vocational Development Group—March 7
- Leadership Training, session two—March 13
- Rotary District 5950 Conference—May 21
San also wished happy birthday and happy anniversary to all those in March!
Bill Milota gave a lovely invocation and then everyone participated in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Rotary Four-Way test.
Stefan Smith introduced our many guests:
- Ann Platt brought newly approved member Kevin Koepke
- Toshie Metzger, another newly approved member, was guest of Scott MacDonald
- Katy Campbell, newly approved member
- Greg Yoch brought another newly approved member, Scott Blake
- Andrea Thompson Miller brought Kate Fossum
- Kelley Burnett brought Amy Luoma
- David Clynes brought Justin Cole
- Tara Wiskow was a guest who found us through our club website
- Josh Sprague brought his better half, Kelly Sprague
- Royce Pavelka brought Don Thomas
- Doug Johnson brought in daughter-in-law, Lindsey and daughter, Sarah
Jennifer Bennerotte had the distinct pleasure of introducing a Legacy Video. This year we are featuring several of our longest-serving members and hearing their stories and memories of Rotary and why they are still members. Today, the Rev. Dr. Arthur Rouner was featured.
Scott MacDonald, looking very nice in a suit, was honored to recognize Josh and Kelly Sprague as Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation. Josh has been in Rotary for 10 years (to the day). We are grateful and thankful for the Spragues' contributions to The Rotary Foundation. They are making a difference in the world.
Next up, Doug Johnson introduced our speaker, who just happened to be his son, Mike Johnson. Mike graduated from Edina High School in 2000. (Doug gave a long list of Mike’s many accomplishments in school.) He attended the Air Force Academy and was a cargo jet pilot and then became a flight instructor. He left the Air Force in 2016 and is now a part of the SkySkopes in Grand Forks, North Dakota. His talk was on "Drones–What Can They Really Do?"
Mike took us through the history of remote aircraft, which actually started at the turn of the last century. Remote aircraft were really mostly a hobby until smart phones came along and the technology helped to control the aircraft more easily, longer battery life, etc.
He reviewed the regulations required to fly a drone:
- Must be 16 years old
- FAA knowledgeable
- Vetted by TSA
- Drone must be registered and weigh less than 55 pounds
He reviewed the operating rules and what you can and can’t do with a drone. Then he talked about what the company he works for does and how they use drones in their daily lives. They help in:
- Photography and cinematography
- Inspections—hard to reach places (usually high up)
- Emergency response situations—they helped in many ways with the recent hurricanes
- Data processing
- Agriculture
- Engineering and surveying
- Construction
And much more. This was an awesome talk!
Mike Kallas thanked the speaker and the San wished us all a good week.