In this issue:
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
It is that time of year again when we reconsider who will serve as Club Officers for the coming calendar year. We will hold an election at the Holiday Party in December. This election will be for the four elected officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. And in January, one of the first duties of that newly elected board will be to appoint or re-appoint the Chief Maintenance Officer, the three Assistant Maintenance Officers, the Operations Officer, and the Safety/Training Officer. The duties and perks of these positions are desribed in this Club Document.
This year we have at least one position that needs someone to step forward. Larry Millen is stepping down from the Archer Maintenance Officer position (and is, in fact, leaving MANG), effective at the end of this month. We will need someone right away, and hopefully that person could continue into 2010. Larry Millen has generously offered to help train his replacement, even after September, so contact him, or any other Board member if you are interested.
Close call with Warrior flat tire on landing
At the last membership meeting, Michael Smith reported on an interesting experience he had with a right main tire failure on landing the Warrior. He was landing on 23L, and some time during his rollout, the right main went suddenly flat. The plane begin to veer to the right. Michael responded by gently applying some left braking. The plane continued to yaw right until it came to a stop pointing to the northwest, and at the edge of the runway. A tug was used to pull the plane to the west side of the airport where Paul Fortino was able to replace the tire. He found that the valve stem had been completely sheared off of the tube. At the meeting, it was pointed out that airport rules make it difficult to operate a tug on a runway. It is simpler if you can get to a taxiway. Of course this is not always possible, and wheel damage can occur if you force the plane to taxi on a flat tire, so use good judgement if you find yourself in a similar situation. This might also be a good time to remind members to check tire pressure as part of your pre-flight check. If you don't use an actual gauge, at least become very familiar with the normal amount of bulging of a properly-inflated tire.
Larry Millen and Ken Larson leave MANG
Two members will be leaving MANG this month. One is Ken Larson, who very generously facilitated the recent ATC tours at Detroit Metro, just as he was retiring from his job there. He will be moving to North Carolina. Best of luck, Ken! Also, Larry Millen will be leaving MANG this month. Larry has been a MANG member and the Archer Maintenance Officer since 2002. Thanks to you, Larry for your years of service!
It was suggested at the General Membership Meeting that perhaps the Holiday Party should be planned for a lower cost and to be more casual - perhaps ordering off the regular menu instead of having a dedicated banquet service. We want to make the party accessible to all MANG members, especially since this is where we hold our election for the new Board. If you agree, or if you have any other suggestion about where, when, and how much, please drop a note to Dave LaPointe.
Flight sim computer from Joe McEvoy
Joe McEvoy has offered to donate a Windows XP computer with On Top Flight Sim 9.1 installed. The idea is to install this computer in the hangar office and to make it available to all members for practice. At the General Membership Meeting, it was decided to allocate up to $250 for a control yoke and possibly other controls to make this flight sim more useable. In addition, this system could benefit from a second monitor to provide an instructor's station for controlling the simulation and failing instruments, etc. If any of you have a reasonably good monitor you would like to donate to this cause, please contact John Keck or Joe McEvoy.
ID badge renewals temporarily suspended
The ID badge renewal system at Willow Run Operations is currently non-functional. So until further notice, don't bother trying to renew an expiring ID badge. Willow Run Operations has assured us that no ID badges will be deactivated in the interim, and there will be no late fees for people who could not renew their badges while the system was down.
Also, we have heard from several members that the card reader at the gate is not always accepting their ID badges. If this happens you, you have two choices:
Call the Operations office and complain until someone official comes over and opens the gate for you.
Use your padlock key at the east gate. Reports are that the gate is still locked by the same old padlock that was used before the security system went in.
Here are the statistics for August 2009:
|
(Total HOURS) |
54115 |
43755 |
33149 |
All Aircraft |
|
August 2009: |
23.6 |
18.3 |
29.2 |
71.1 |
Here are the top flyers in terms of flight hours for the month:
|
Bruce Anderson |
11.6 |
|
Bob Scott |
8.6 |
|
Michael Smith |
8.6 |
|
Robb Butts |
6.5 |
|
Rod Lelental |
4.5 |
|
Mario Pecchia |
4.1 |