AEDC Cruise-In considered a success

  • Published
  • By Patrick Ary
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Organizers of AEDC's first ever Cruise-In say the event was a great success that they would like to see happen again.

Almost 80 participants brought cars, trucks and motorcycles to the event May 11, and the mild, sunny weather brought out onlookers from all over the center to see the hot rods and classic cars on display.

"I think it turned out really well," said Shannon Tibbals, a planning committee member and a system and test engineer in AEDC's von Kármán Gas Dynamics Facility. "I was expecting maybe 40 cars when we originally sent out the call for participants, so to get almost 80 is really impressive."

The Cruise-In idea was put forth in March by AEDC Commander Col. Michael Brewer and ATA General Manager Steve Pearson as a way to spend a Friday lunch break relaxing.

"They were looking for something that was kind of a tension-breaker for the workforce," said Dr. Ralph Jones, one of the event planners and manager of ATA's Technology and Analysis Branch. "The prior few weeks really had the workforce focused on the end of the award fee period and associated briefings along with preparation for the Unit Compliance Inspection visit, in addition to all the activities that are normally underway at the center. They asked if we could come up with some folks who were interested in cars that would be willing to organize this, and so we came up with about a dozen names. We had a few in the core group that handled the early planning coordination and a number of others on the day of the event to help with parking and other duties."

Tom Parrish, another event planner and C-2 test cell project engineer, said committee members weren't sure how the turnout was going to be when they started planning, but everything turned out perfectly.

"I was surprised we had so many cars," Parrish said. "It was great to see a wide variety of cars from the late 1930s all the way up to brand new cars."

People came out during lunchtime to have some lunch sold by the base Top IV and Company Grade Officers associations, listen to classic rock from the 1950s to 1970s and check out the automobiles their coworkers brought to show off.

Money from the food sold at the event went to the center's Top IV and CGO associations, who ended up with $1,880 that will be used for care packages for deployed troops, projects with the Boy Scouts of America and events like the AEDC Children's Christmas Party.

People also voted for their favorite vehicle of the show. The People's Choice award went to Jim Mills, safety manager for Walbridge Aldinger. Walbridge is currently at the center working on the Turbine Engine Dry Air Capability Phase 2 project at AEDC's C-Plant Airside building.

"I'm totally shocked," Mills said. "It never crossed my mind that I'd win it. There are a lot of nice cars out here. It's an honor."

Mills had gotten a heads-up from someone on base that the Cruise-In was going to take place, so he brought his 1940 Oldsmobile Business Coupe up from Alabama to show at the event. He's owned the car 16 years and restored it from the frame up.

"I had a great time," Mills said of the event. "It gives the people who work out here an outlet to let everybody else know what their hobbies are. They talk about their cars but you never see them, and you come to an event like this and now all of a sudden, everyone's going to be associated with a vehicle."

Other participants brought more than one vehicle. Frankie Hill, a water treatment and wastewater operator, brought his 2011 Shelby GT 500 and a 1959 Ford Fairlane Galaxie 500. He wanted to bring three more cars but couldn't find enough people to drive them in.

"There are a lot of pretty vehicles out here," Hill said of the event. "They're all beautiful - those Camaros even. I'd forgotten how pretty they look because I haven't messed with one in so long."

Some AEDC employees even brought their families out to the center to walk through the parking lot and see the different vehicles on display. The high turnout for the event has everyone involved with the planning hopeful that another Cruise In will take place in the future.

"I don't think there's any question that we're going to try to do it again next year," Jones said. "A lot of what made it successful was obviously the participation of the planning team and the folks that showed up, but the weather made it just perfect. It wasn't too hot or windy and you could smell the burgers and hot dogs cooking and the music playing in the background. It was just the perfect atmosphere."