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Skyhawks are a wonderfully versatile (and numerous) aircraft. We have three good ones (and we can get more) Sometimes I wonder why we knock ourselves out to have an LSA, Mooney, tail wheel and also provide twin training. I guess … Continue reading
If you are in aviation and have some form of mobile computing device you have heard of Apps. These “APPlications” seem a natural for aviation being task specific, simple to download, and easily updated on the web. So what are YOU using to make your aviation life easier? Here is a picture of my phone and several I use. FltPlan is free and a robust fully capable program that works fairly well on phones or tablets. Plan and file your flight, get weather, all for FREE! We have ForeFlight on the club iPads and it is easy to use and provides all of the above plus the current nav charts VFR/IFR, terminal procedures and other current data. The downside here is $120 a year! The key strength of Apps is the easy to download and install feature that keeps all this information up to date. One simple, free App I use daily is Aeroweather. On one page are the five closest weather stations…METAR and TAF always up-to-date. What is your favorite?
I think many of you know I am passionate about float plane flying, having flown on the water for over 20 years and twice all the way to Oshkosh on straight floats. So when I am at the Airventure show I always try to visit the beautiful Vette Seaplane Base.
There was an AirCam flying there this year and it was obvious they were giving some clandestine instruction so I got in the queue for a lesson. Dual in this beast is definitely all fun…I wish we owned one. Plans for 2012, I hope to visit the Bahamas again this winter, perhaps with some glider training again
I highly recommend a book on technology called “The Axemaker’s Gift” by Robert Ornstein and James Burke. The takeaway from this book is that we, as a culture, do not evaluate and choose our new technology, it washes over us and envelops us with little conscious choice and drives our future. If something is new and even marginally helpful we as a culture seem to embrace it without question or direction. This may be an evolutionary adaptation but in terms of our rapidly developing techno-culture it may not be at all wise or advisable.
Our focus here is aviation and certainly you know the pace of change has been accelerating rapidly in our field with all the new toys we can buy and install. I would argue some careful thought is required to be safe here; it is critically important to thoughtfully evaluate and choose your tools, learn them well, and deploy them intelligently or you will not be the master, you might be their slave. Increasingly pilots cannot (or do not) perform the basic flying functions of handling the aircraft accurately either because of the distraction from their technology or due to lack of recent focus and practice! Yes that new touch screen GPS will navigate you around the storms and find Nashville but it will not negotiate the speed and pattern on descent and land your plane! If it goes “Tango Uniform” you need to fall back to a reliable (perhaps manual) standby system. My training at Cirrus as a CSIP emphatically de-emphasized the shiny panel and focused us on teaching basic skills! Here are a few interesting articles and videos: Recent NTSB study on automation
It has been a snowy, challenging winter for trips but we were lucky with one beautiful clear day for a trip to Boston and Cape Cod in the Diamond DA-40.
OK, big question about those ugly little “accidents” not worth claiming on insurance but must be fixed. Example 1: A member burns up the Skyhawk starter trying to start the plane when the fuel is turned off. (Part and labor $580…who pays?)
Example 2: Mooney door stay gets stepped on (again) and bent rendering the plane out of service (loss of revenue and the part $385) Example 3: Classic wingtip/tail damage when member moves plane and runs it into the hangar door. (Last re-paint $320, last rudder repair $1,700) Point of Interest: The club puts $10-15K into improvements every year to keep our fleet up to a standard. The next poll will seek information on what level of excellence you desire…stay tuned! [Final decision: pay for "small damage" when abuse or neglect is obvious]
So what is a P-51 doing in Kansas at a small airport? How lucky to have a pilot like Stu Eberhardt a Reno Air Race legend…born in 1936! See his last race where he blew his engine. See this race where he beat out Howard Pardue in the Bearcat! Merlin’s Magic will run again! The Collings Foundation provides warbird rides all over the country.
Long-time member Michael Meador (who shared his trip to the Bahamas with us this winter) recently took a trip down the NYC corridor with his daughter Lauren and shot these photos:
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 | Richard Phoenix on What Do YOU Want to Fly?? |
 | Pete Loucks on What Do YOU Want to Fly?? |
 | Mark Wagner on What Do YOU Want to Fly?? |
 | Thomas Bachlechner on What Do YOU Want to Fly?? |
 | Brad Wendel on What Do YOU Want to Fly?? |
