In this issue:
April 27th, Monday, 6:00 PM MANG-MDOT Safety Seminar @ Plymouth
Library *
May 2nd, Saturday, 8:00 AM Plane Wash & 11:00 AM BBQ @ MANG Hangars
May 11th, Monday, 6:00 PM Board Meeting @ Birdcage Lounge
June 13th, Saturday, 8:00 AM Plane Wash & 11:00 AM BBQ &
General Membership
July 13th, Monday, 6:00 PM Board Meeting @ Birdcage Lounge
August 8th, Saturday, 8:00 AM Plane Wash & 11:00 AM BBQ @ MANG Hangars
September 14th, Monday, 6:00 PM General Membership Meeting @ Plymouth
Library *
October 10th, Saturday, 8:00 AM Plane Wash & 11:00 AM BBQ @ MANG Hangers
November 9th, Monday, 6:00 PM Board Meeting @ Birdcage Lounge
December 5th, Friday, 6:00 PM Holiday Party & General Membership
Election @ TBD
(*) The Plymouth Library is at 223 S. Main St. in downtown Plymouth. Phone 734-453-0750
MANG Sponsors MDOT Safety Seminar April 27th
Tom Krashen from Michigan Aeronautics will present a program called "IFR Refresher" on April 27th at the Plymouth Library at 6 PM. This is a MANG-sponsored event, so wear your MANG T-shirt and help publicize our Club. Also come and learn about IFR! (This event was previously announced incorrectly as being on April 23rd.)
We have five openings in the Club. If you know of anyone who would like to fly with us, have them contact Dave LaPointe.
What to Do when your ID Badge Expires
The Willow Run Operations office has established the procedure for renewing your ID badge. Your badge should expire at the end of the month of your birthday. You may renew it any time in the month before that or in that month. Here are the facts:
The renewal fee is $15.
This time when you renew your badge it will be good for a full two years.
There is no application form to fill out. They already have you in their computer.
You need to watch the security video and pass the test again.
Times for watching the video are M-F @ 9AM and M-W @ 1PM. Call ahead to make sure.
You can call the Operations Office at (734) 485-6675 to make sure they will be open and able to process your renewal. If any of your personal information has changed (address, phone number, etc.) let them know when you renew your ID badge so they can update their computer file.
As of today (March 24th), the motorized gate that would open with your ID badge is broken and wide open. It has been like that all winter. While the gate is broken like this, you can just drive in without your badge. But that does not mean you should. The rules still require you to wear your badge while inside the Bird Cage area. And by the way, the East gate still has a padlock on it that opens with the key you were issued long ago. So when they get around to fixing and closing the motorized gate, and if the card reader should ever fail, then remember you have a key to the padlocked gate as a backup. However there is no guarantee how long that East gate will be accessible with our keys.
Dale Thorsby has been finding a lot of trash left behind in the planes. He asks that everyone double check for personal items and garbage after each flight. Also he requests that we don't throw liquids in the trash cans. The trash cans might go a week or more without being emptied. In that much time the plastic liners can leak and make a smelly mess in the barrel. Please spill your coffee on the grass and then throw away the empty cup in the trash.
Each plane should have a quart of oil and some paper towels in the rear storage area. This is for you to use if you are away from the airport and need to add engine oil. If you do use the spare oil in the back of the plane, then please replace it when you get back to the hangars. The quarts of oil are on the storage shelves along with all the other supplies. Also be aware of what kind of oil should be used. We use 65 weight oil in the winter and 100 weight oil in the summer. And brand new engines use a special non-detergent oil during the break-in period. If you are in doubt, just look at the chalkboard for the plane. The current oil type that we are using for that plane is always written on the chalkboard. Make sure you use the same type and weight.
Although we have said it before, it bears repeating that we should not fill the fuel tanks any higher than the bottom of the filler neck. Especially now with warmer whether coming, the fuel will expand and leak out at the vent and degrade the tires.
Most members are now doing a good job writing down the amount of each fuel purchase.
You may recall there was a committee set up to research the possibilities of getting a new plane for MANG. To that end, Dale Thorsby tried out an Apollo Fox light sport plane while he was in Florida last month. If you would like to see the plane and read about its specs, here is the website:
Until further notice, there will not be any fuel surcharge on the flying fees. Fuel prices have come down enough to make this possible. Therefore we are back to our basic flying fees of::
|
Cessna and Warrior: |
$75/ hour |
|
Archer: |
$80/ hour |
Here are the statistics for 2009, and for February:
|
(Total HOURS) |
54115 |
43755 |
33149 |
All Aircraft |
|
February 2009: |
10.4 |
5.6 |
7.6 |
23.6 |
Here are the top flyers in terms of flight hours for the month:
|
Rod Lelental |
3.7 |
|
Ron Rose |
3.2 |
|
Glenn Harper |
2.6 |
|
Marcel Mikulec |
2.4 |
|
Joseph Mifsud |
2.1 |