In this issue:
Tues. April 20, 7:00 - Board Meeting at the Hangar
Thurs. April 22, 7:00 - MDOT Safety Seminar, "Distractions in
the Cockpit", at Plymouth Library (*), and sponsored by MANG
Sat. April 24, 9:00 - Plane Wash & Barbecue
Tues. May 11, 7:00 - Board Meeting at the Hangar
Sat. May 22, 9:00-4:00 - Willow
Run Aviation Day (**)
Sat. June 5, 9:00 - Plane Wash & Barbecue & General
Membership Meeting
Tues. July 13, 7:00 - Board Meeting at the Hangar
Sat. July 24, 9:00 - Plane Wash & Barbecue
Tues. Aug. 10, 7:00 - Board Meeting at the Hangar
Sat. Sep. 11, 9:00 - Plane Wash & Barbecue
Tues. Sep. 21, 6:30 - General Membership Meeting at Plymouth Library (*)
Tues. Oct 12, 7:00 - Board Meeting at the Hangar
Tues. Nov. 9, 7:00 - Board Meeting at the Hangar
Sun. Dec. 5, TDB - Holiday Party at TBD
(Times and locations are subject to change.)
* The Plymouth District Library is located in downtown Plymouth, one block North of Ann Arbor Trail, at
223 South Main Street
Plymouth, Michigan 48170
(734) 453-0750
We will be meeting in the meeting room that is on your left on the main floor just as you come in from the East entrance.
** Willow Run Aviation Day is a free event with free food and other attractions. See the Willow Run website for details.
Patrick Lusch and David Schrader have joined, so the membership is currently full and there is no waiting list.
Annuals - what was/will be done
Archer: overhead light cover is broken. There are no approved
replacements without replacing the entire light assembly.
Birdcage Gate Access - Openers Available
As was reported in the last newsletter, the West gate at the Birdcage may be opened with a wireless opener, available from Anglin Aviation for $35. Application forms for openers are available in the hangar office and online as a PDF file. You may still use your key at the East gate.
It seems the official checklist for the Warrior is still missing. Please check your flight bag to see if you have taken it by mistake.
The GPS in our Cessna was nearly ruined by batteries that had leaked and corroded the innards. This particular GPS has been brought back from the brink by some intensive cleaning and TLC. Let's not allow this to happen again. Dead batteries tend to leak after a while, and we have been too casual about leaving dead batteries in there. If live batteries are in the GPS, remember to turn off the GPS as part of your post-flight inspection. These GPSs do not turn themselves off when external power is turned off.
Poll: Should we ask everyone to supply their own new batteries when batteries are needed? Should we make it a policy to leave the batteries out and rely exclusively on external power? Or should we continue to try to keep batteries in the GPSs and be more careful about turning them off? Please forward your comments to me at robert.scott@tunelab-world.com.
Kevin goes to Proficient Flight
Kevin Grammes recently completed a one day flight simulator-based Instrument Proficiency Check at Proficient Flight in Waukesha, WI (UES). He was impressed by the unique situations offered by the curriculum that may not be normally encountered by GA pilots. Partial panel, approaches to minimums, circling approaches, DME arcs, and vacuum failures are all realistically simulated better than flying with a hood and covering "failed" gauges. Kevin says:
After completing this course and seeing the real thing, my cross check skills and instrument scan are as good as they have ever been and I really feel I know what to look for. In addition the number one rule of Aviation or FLY THE AIRPLANE was reinforced. Greg Plantz [the owner of Proficient Flight] offers a one-day, or two-day IFR course, and a half-day VFR into IMC course. I have left some info cards in the hangars. You can also visit the web site at: www.ProficientFlight.com. UES is about a ½ hour west of Milwaukee WI. You could fly in, or drive about six hours from YIP. There are two nice hotels and a couple of really good restaurants, Machine Shed and ThunderBay Grille (excellent Prime Rib!), within walking distance of Proficient Flight. If you go tell Greg that Kevin from Detroit Approach Control sent you!!!
New FAA Website - this from the FAA:
The FAA Aviation Safety Program is undergoing some changes. One of the first steps in this process is to have better communication with our customers in the aviation community. To do this we have created a new website at http://faasafety.gov. This site currently provides a searchable listing of aviation safety seminars and events nationwide. It will also send you e-mail notification of these seminars and additional aviation safety information depending on how you set your preferences.
Our future plans for the site include:
A searchable online aviation library
Kevin L. Clover
FAA National Safety Program Manager
Here are the flying hours for February:
|
(Total HOURS) |
54115 |
43755 |
33149 |
All Aircraft |
|
February only: |
11.7 |
10.2 |
25.1 |
47.0 |