In this issue:

Calendar of Events

November 8th, Monday, 6:00 PM Board Meeting @ Birdcage Lounge
December 3, Friday, 6:00 PM Holiday Party & General Membership Mtg. @ DeLucas

Club Procedures not being followed

There has been a rash of incidents lately where Club Procedures were not being followed. At the last Board Meeting it was suggested that perhaps some members were not properly instructed as to these procedures during their Club Checkouts. Here are the items that need special attention:

• Always fill out the time sheets completely. This is very important so that Joe McEvoy can properly bill all tach time and reconcile the fuel bills, and so Dale Thorsby can develop the Operations Report. This means filling in your name, the date, the tach time leaving, the tach time returning, the total tach time, and the amount of fuel added if you added any. Also note where the fuel came from (YIP self-serve, or some other airport where you paid for it an you expect reimbursement). By properly reporting all fueling operations and flying time, you also help the next pilot realize the fuel level before flight. (Although you should never rely exclusively on the time sheets to determine fuel level. Always look for yourself!)
• Report maintenance problems to a maintenance officer. This has been mentioned before, but it bears repeating. If you become aware of any maintenance problem, you should report it. If it is serious enough that the plane is not airworthy by FAA regulations, then you should ground the plane yourself, in addition to notifying a maintenance officer. That means posting a sign somewhere in the plane or on the chalk board that would definitely be seen. If possible, use schedulemaster to find out who the next member is on the schedule for that plane and call them up and let them know about the problem. If it is minor problem (like a burned out landing light) that does not make the plane not airworthy, then there is no need to ground the plane. Just make sure a maintenance officer knows about the problem. Remember, this is not a rental company. This is a flying club. We all own these planes together. We owe it to our fellow Club Members to look out for them as we would like them to look out for us. The name of the maintenance officer for each plane is on the chalk board for the plane. If you cannot contact the maintenance officer for the plane, then contact the Chief Maintenance Officer, Paul Fortino.
• Learn how to perform simple maintenance. The pilot in command is responsible for the airworthiness of his aircraft. Do you know how to add engine oil if it is low? Do you know what kind of oil to add? Do you know how to add air to the tires? Don't just assume that "someone else will do it". What if you take a plane overnight to a far away airport, and the next day come to the airport and find that the tires are low? Or flat? (I had that happen to me last year.) To get home safely it helps to know some simple maintenance procedures. At least learn how to add oil to the engine and how to pump up the tires. The exact instructions for these procedures are beyond the scope of this simple newsletter, so make it a point to ask another member for guidance. One good way to learn more about your favorite plane is to call the maintenance officer for that plane and find out when he is planning on changing the oil. Then show up at the hangars and ask your questions.
• Proper Fueling. Our Club Regulations say that you should never leave the plane more than 1.5 hours down from full fuel. That amount down is cumulative. So if the previous pilot flew 1.2 hours and you flew 0.8 hours, then you have to fuel the plane when you are done. MANG has an account with Jet USA which gives us the lowest cost. Always use the self-service pump with the smartcard in the pouch in the binder for the plane. If you call for truck delivery, we normally get charged a premium, so don't do that unless it is absolutely necessary. If you don't know how to use the self-serve pumps, read the instructions in the hangars, or ask another member to show you how. Also, when you use the self-serve pump, make sure to enter the N-number (N33149, N54115, N43755) with the keypad at the fueling station. Accurately entering your plane's N-number will help in reconciling the fuel bills that MANG gets from Jet USA. And don't overfill the tanks. This has not been a problem lately, since we made an issue of it several months ago.
• Find Documents in the plane. These are the documents that you must have in the plane in order to be legal (Airworthiness Certificate and Registration). To help you find these documents, reminders have been posted at the chalk board. The Archer documents, for example, are in a pouch attached to the front of the rear seats (approximately where a rear-seat passenger's heals would be). The Airworthiness Certificates have recently been laminated to keep them from falling apart.
• Be responsible for the condition of the plane when you return it. This is a matter of simple courtesy. Don't make the next pilot to fly your plane have to find food wrappers or other trash in the plane. During bug season, always wipe off dead bugs and their juices from the leading edges, and clean the windscreen with the Pledge spray and the dedicated white windscreen cloths. These white cloths have been specially set aside to keep them free of grit so that they will not scratch the windscreen. Don't use these white cloths for anything else, like checking the oil. Oil should be checked only with a disposable paper towel. Tidy up the seat belts and shoulder harnesses.
• Lock the doors when you leave. This was mentioned in the last newsletter, but it fits here too. The hangar doors will stay unlocked when you use your key to unlock them. Turn the button on the inside to make sure they are locked.

Holiday Party at DeLucas

Just as last year, we will be holding our annual Holiday Party at DeLucas on Friday, Dec. 3rd at 6PM. More information will follow in the next newsletter. In the meantime, mark your calendars to save the date. The comments from members last year were very favorable, so we are looking forward to a great evening. Remember, this is also the time when we elect the Board of Directors (President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer) for the next year. We hope to see all of you there.

Call for Nominations

As was mentioned in the previous paragraph, MANG will be holding elections for President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer at the Dec. 3rd Holiday Party. Nominations are open for anyone wishing to serve in any of these offices. Nominate yourself or nominate someone else. To make a nomination, just contact any current Board member.

In addition to these four elected positions, we have a number of appointed Board positions. These appointments will be made by the newly elected Board at the January meeting. More information on those opportunities will be available later. (Or just go and read the Club Documents online right now.)

Willow Run ID Badging for Everyone, and Soon!

We said in the last newsletter that all expired badges could now be renewed. What I did not realize at the time is that not only do expired badges have to be renewed fairly soon, but even the few non-expired badges also have to be renewed. That is because the Willow Run Operations Office is switching over to a new system. The new badges will have a different color. So even if your badge does not expire until 2011, you still need to make an appointment with the Operations Office and renew your badge just like everyone else.

News flash: I just learned from the Operations Office that the card reader at the gate will start requiring new ID badges on November 1st. Up until then, the old badges will work, but starting November 1st, if you don't have a new Willow Run ID badge, the gate will not open for you. So get your new badge now.

Remember, the Operations Office is holding badging sessions M-F. But there is still one Saturday date left: this Saturday, Oct. 16th. So if you can't make the M-F times, then reserve a spot for this Saturday before it is all filled up. All the details about the Operations Office can be found by clicking here.

Also, when you renew your badge, make sure they enable it for the Bird Cage. Some members were accidentally given badges that did not say "Bird Cage" and would not work at the Bird Cage gate. So save yourself a return trip and verify your badge is correct the day you get it.

Flying Hours and Statistics

Here are the statistics for September 2010:

Here are the top flyers in terms of flight hours for the month:

Rod Lelental	5.0
Bruce Anderson	4.6
Joe McEvoy	4.2
Dan Wadowski	3.1
Troy Allen	3.0
Cal Locklin	2.9