In this issue:
Monday, January 21st, 6:00 PM Board Meeting @ Birdcage Lounge
Monday, February 18th, 6:00 PM Board Meeting @ Birdcage Lounge
Tuesday, March 11th, 6:00 PM General membership Meeting @
Plymouth Library
Tuesday, April 29th, 6:00 PM MANG-MDOT Safety Seminar @
Plymouth Library
Monday, April 21st, 6:00 PM Board Meeting @ Birdcage Lounge
Saturday, May 3rd 8:00 AM Plane Wash & 11:00 AM BBQ @ MANG Hangers
Monday, May 19th 6:00 PM Board Meeting @ Birdcage Lounge
Saturday, June 21st 8:00 AM Plane Wash & 11:00 AM BBQ &
General Membership Meeting
Monday, July 21st 6:00 PM Board Meeting @ Birdcage Lounge
Saturday, August 2nd 8:00 AM Plane Wash & 11:00 AM BBQ @ MANG Hangers
Monday, August 18th 6:00 PM Board Meeting @ Birdcage Lounge
Monday, September 15th 6:00 PM General membership Meeting @ Plymouth Library
Saturday, October 4th 8:00 AM Plane Wash & 11:00 AM BBQ @ MANG Hangers
Monday, October 20th 6:00 PM Board Meeting @ Birdcage Lounge
Monday, November 17th 6:00 PM Board Meeting @ Birdcage Lounge
Friday, December 5th 6:00 PM Holiday Party @ TBD
The MANG Holiday Party was held on Friday, November 30th, at Atlantis restaurant in Livonia. Despite early trends that indicated a low turnout, we had a record turnout of 21 members and 21 guests. Door prizes were: six 1-hour flying credits, two $50 Sporty's gift certificates, four $25 Sporty's gift certificates, two FAR/AIM books, a movie about Perl Harbor, a bottle of wine brewed by Dino Dinatale, and a remote control office helicopter toy.
President Steve Thornburg gave a brief summary of 2007. It was a year that saw our membership rise to the full constitutional maximum of 55 members. We also improved our fleet by getting a new interior for the Archer, Garmin 430s for all three planes, and WAAS upgrades on two of them. While we flew only 680 hours in 2006, we already have over 800 hours for 2007.
The evening continued with food and great conversation. Click here for a picture of the group.
The current Board of Directors was re-elected unanimously with 21 votes from the members present at the party and 3 votes that were delivered earlier by e-mail. Speaking for the rest of the Board, I can say we are all appreciative of the trust you have placed in us and we will try our best to serve you in the coming year.
An Alternative for Fuel at Willow Run
At long last USA Jet Services is opening self-service avgas pumps. The initial price for the grand opening is $3.85/gal. Instructions for using this service will be placed in the planes or posted in the hangars. Click here to see pictures of the pump site. The pump is located just South of the taxiway that comes out of the Birdcage.
Operation is fairly straight-forward. Instruction sheets should be in the planes by now. Be careful taxing in there because it is a little tight. Just watch that the wingtips don't hit the posts. The one issue that may look a little odd is the use of the mats to cover the drains in the road. It was explained to me that in order to meet County Department of Environmental Quality standards, they had to supply these mats (which are essentially like huge refrigerator magnets) to cover the two drains on the ramp to prevent fuel from polluting the creek. Unlike other drains on the field, these drains do not have a fuel separator in them. Anything that finds its way into those drains runs directly into a creek, past some houses, and into Belleville Lake.
The drains themselves are actually quite far from the pump, in the middle of the road that runs parallel to the pump lane. You will see them better when the snow melts. If you don't use the mats pre-emptively every time you dispense fuel, at least become familiar with where the drains are and how to use them to protect the drains in case of a big fuel spill. Practically speaking, you will have plenty of time to first hit the emergency shut off, then cover the drains, and finally use the "pillows" in the spill kit to contain the spill or direct it onto the grass. In the event of a fire, there is a fire extinguisher you can use, if you feel comfortable doing so. If not, just get out of there and call for help. There is an emergency phone on the emergency shut-off post. In the event of a spill, do not operate any electrical switches, either on or off. Don't turn your cell phone on. If it is already on, don't turn it off. Same thing goes for the plane. If the master switch is off, don't turn it on. If it is on, don't turn it off. Pull the plane away by hand using the towbar.
Another quirk is that the pump will terminate the sale and print the receipt if the dispensing stops for about one and half minutes. So if you take an especially long time going from one wing to the other, you may have to initiate a second transaction with your credit card.
As for pricing, we were told that USA Jet reserved a large amount of 100LL several years ago when Yankee Air Force told them they were going to buy a lot of it. YAF did not, so USA Jet now has about 5000 gallons left from that purchase. They expect it to last until some time in the spring. Then the prices may go up. They expect around $4.45 for the first part of the year.
Here are the statistics for November 2007 :
|
(Total HOURS) |
54115 |
43755 |
33149 |
All Aircraft |
|
November: |
20.0 |
22.7 |
8.5 |
51.2 |