On Silent Wings...Update

Transcription

1 T A I L W I N D S The Official Newsletter of the Candler Field Flying Club On Silent Wings...Update After a soggy week of weather delays, Peach State Aerodrome s first Glider Day is a success! In this issue After a few weather cancellations brought on by our recent monsoon season in the Atlanta area, the first official Glider Day at the Peach State Aerodrome was finally able to take to the skies on July 20th. Club instructor Mike Knabe and local glider operators Phillip and Linda LaBerge started operating sailplane demonstration flights at around 1100 AM and towed the day away, completing a total of 8 demonstration flights and stirring a lot of interest from locals that had never had any general aviation experience at all. Adding a sailplane component to the Candler Field Flying Club, even on a part-time basis, is something Club leadership is pursuing with increasing interest. In addition to growing our powered aircraft fleet, providing a real grass roots and lower cost option of sailplane flight to our current and future members is a direction we definitely could see the Club going, and would add one more facet to the Club s purpose, Club President and all around good guy Glen Marsh said regarding the soaring operation s potential. Future Glider Days are in the works, so stay tuned to Tailwinds and other Club correspondence for schedules. If you re interested in soaring contact Mike Knabe, the Club s most active glider pilot. A review of our first glider day Our first Member Adventure section about a real cross-country adventure Checkride success stories A new training asset all the way from a small recent airshow July Safety Meeting overview Some of the fun our members are having while calling it work SHIRT TAILS As aviators, one of our strongest and proudest traditions is to celebrate the success of our peers. In our Shirt Tails section, Club members who have recently soloed, completed checkrides, type ratings, or other such airman qualification accomplishments will be celebrated and provided the recognition they have earned. In July, two of our members successfully added multi-motor capability to their airman certificates. Andrew Hansen, who will also be featured in this newsletter s Cross Country section, and all-around helper Jeremy Clarke both completed multi-engine flight checks with local DPE Bill Mercure. Congratulations to Andrew and Jeremy, as well as their CFI Ryan Johnson. Well done to you all!! PAGE 1

2 PRESENTS FROM OSHKOSH... Industry trade shows always present good opportunities to compare the latest and greatest of sundry technology, innovations, and products that organizations find themselves in the market for. EAA s AirVenture, while a spectacular airshow, is no exception to the benefits of trade show retail comparison. Our Club has been in the market for a training device to bolster instrument and procedural training for some time and Club leadership was able to compare several PC-based Aviation Training Devices while taking in the sights and sounds of AirVenture A solid decision was made to acquire a TouchTrainer by FlyThisSim Simulated Avionics. A touch-screen operated, PC-based tabletop simulator, the TouchTrainer provides affordable, high fidelity instrument and equipment specific training platforms. Driven by X-Plane 10, our TouchTrainer is configured to replicate Cessna-type aircraft with a broad spectrum of avionics, including basic steam gauge panel items to a fully integrated, autopilot equipped Garmin G1000 avionics suite. As soon as a location for the device is determined, pricing information will be provided and all Club members will have access to this advanced new training asset. JULY SAFETY MEETING IN REVIEW... Our quarterly safety meeting and hangar flying session went well on July 13th. Attendance was strong and a good time was had by all. Key club topics started off with a review of acquisitions and developments by the airport and Museum, including the delivery of a (mostly) fly able Waco 10. The Curtiss Jenny project is coming along nicely and the timeline to fly it by years' end is still viable. The safety discussion of the night was spearheaded by Club IPs Mike Knabe and Jason Brown. The techniques and applicability of takeoff and landing operations on a sloped runway - such as operating downhill with a tailwind for a launch - opened some eyes and brought about some good conversation about density altitude and how we can maximize our safe options while operating out of Peach State and other small fields. Another Club topic brought up was the initial request for interest in a "traveling" plane, like a Cessna 182 or something similar. If membership interest is high enough, he feasibility of such an aircraft would be assessed and we could start formulating a plan to provide an aircraft perfect for weekend trips to the coast or the mountains.! PAGE 2

3 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT...!!!!!!! ANDREW HANSEN Our first Member Spotlight section features Andrew Hansen - a relatively new member of the Candler Field Flying Club but one that has already proven himself as a good fit for our mission with a passion for grassroots flying. Recently Andrew had a true cross country adventure flying an F-model C182 from Chino, CA to Peachtree City, GA. His airline pilot father-in-law - decades removed from general aviation - had purchased the aircraft and wanted someone more current with the smaller side of things to assist in the homecoming effort. Andrew was kind enough to provide us with a summary of the trip. He d also just recently added an instrument rating to his resumé which would prove useful on the journey as well. Their general aviation trip began about 0800 PDT at KRAL (Riverside) in California. Launching eastward and climbing to a terrain appropriate 11,500 feet MSL cruising altitude, Prescott and then Sedona, AZ were the first stops on day one for fuel and just for fun landings. This first shake down leg of the trip revealed a gremlin in the fuel selector causing some engine roughness and a few tense moments over hilly terrain. Attempts to duplicate the problem showed no other concerns and the airplane soldiered on the remainder of the trip. Enjoying the scenery around the mesa-topping airport of Sedona, AZ, real life lessons of density altitude and normally-aspirated engine performance soon presented themselves to Andrew as he guided their ship eastward. As you climb out to the east, so does the terrain and the density altitude. At times we were only getting 200 foot per minute climb rates and clearing terrain by 500 feet. At the time I had about two hundred hours, all of which were in [smaller] Cessna products. My checkout in the 182 took about an hour and a half and after a few landings I was comfortable with flaring the heavier nose Andrew said of his experience level prior to launching on the transcontinental endeavor. Flaps coming out on approach to Sedona, AZ! PAGE 3

4 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT...!!!!!!! ANDREW HANSEN Left: Meteor Crater, near Winslow, AZ. Right: Cloud deck over Albuquerque, NM. The long stretch of perpetually higher terrain apexes at Meteor Crater, one of the more appealing landmarks of their journey. I don t know much about the crater other than..i wanted to fly down in it Andrew described. For those of you concerned, however, he resisted the urge and kept the spinner pointed east. Santa Rosa (KSXU) and Albuquerque (KABQ), NM were the next stops amidst scattered afternoon thunderstorms, allowing just enough blue sky to stay VFR with the help of Flight Watch, which also provided information that prompted the day to be cut short in Albuquerque. The weather degraded rapidly just after the airplane was secured on the ramp, so a good choice had been made. Early the next morning they took to the skies again, launching VFR to obtain an IFR clearance that eventually had them skimming the top of a thick layer at feet. Andrew was relieved they were able to find some visual conditions on top as the ink was still wet on his instrument rating. Sundance Park (KHSD) was the next location of ground contact for the two pilots and their Skylane where they had lunch with Andrew s family after a quick fuel stop in Clinton, OK (KCLK). A short but welcome visit and a flyby of the family s farm kickstarted the next leg down to Tupelo, MS (KTUP). A new experience for Andrew at KTUP was the reception of both a landing clearance and goodnight message. That was the first time I had been at a towered airport with a closed tower, let alone one that closed AFTER clearing me to land The final leg of this mission was a direct line from Tupelo to Falcon Field in Peachtree City, GA (KFFC). A detour south towards Montgomery, AL ended up being necessary to avoid late night thunderstorms still rolling across West Point Lake. The remainder of the late flight, complete with a wheels down time of nearly 0100 EDT, was uneventful and left Andrew with about fifteen more hours of cross country to file in his logbook. The trip was a great success and I can t wait to plan and fly another one, Andrew expressed of his experience. I joined the Club to finish up my flight training and to meet some good people and so far I have been successful on both counts. We all congratulate you Andrew on your trek from coast to coast - a feat we can all appreciate. If any of you in our membership have stories you would like shared, please let us know and we ll be glad to put the Spotlight on you!! PAGE 4

5 DESTINATIONS! Where our members are going...and where you could be... Club instructor and local corporate pilot Toby Blanton has established a fulfilling and adventurous career flying some classy aircraft to some very classy destinations. Here s just a few photos of his latest adventure to St. Petersburg, Russia. A pilot s lifestyle is far from typical...!!!!!!...but often pays dividends in experiences you don t get anywhere else. EDITOR S NOTE... The summer months recently have brought the Southeast some very wet weather. Despite this, we ve had some very good flying days combined with moderate temperatures. As August progresses into September, the temperatures will cool and good flying weather will keep coming our way. As our Club grows in membership, fleet size, and opportunity, I encourage you to get out and make your own adventures and then share them with us so we can showcase the great things our Club is doing as a whole and show all the fun that prospective members can have. Plan a day trip to the coast, explore an airport you ve never been to, volunteer to clean an airplane and spend the day meeting transient traffic at Peach State - but whatever you do, take a camera (or your smartphone) and document your experiences. Make a quick note and me a few pictures so we can see what you re up to and where the Club is taking you. In the coming months look for information about tailoring our own in-house flight training to better serve our members, as well as further discussion of Club additions and directions of growth. Wherever you choose to have this Club take you, I wish you blue skies and tailwinds Jason Editor JBrownCFI@yahoo.com! PAGE 5