HANGAR TALK FROM THE PRESIDENT S HANGAR

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1 HANGAR TALK Newsletter for the Bellingham Chapter of the Washington Pilots Association May 2002 FROM THE PRESIDENT S HANGAR Spring is trying to spring and we re gearing up for a surge of activity at WPA. For a start, Rick Luke will be speaking to us at the May meeting. The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) takes pride in announcing that Rick has just recently renewed his Master Instructor designation. Rick is an independent flight instructor and designated pilot examiner in the Bellingham area. He is active in the Washington Pilot s Association and also serves as an Aviation Safety Counselor for the Seattle FSDO. Wally Funk will be speaking to us at the June meeting for what I m sure will be a very interesting evening. Thank you, Bailey Shewchuk for donating your air miles to have Wally with us. On fathers day June 16th the Port of Bellingham will be hosting AirFest from 10 AM till 4 PM. WPA will have a booth manned by volunteers. We will have a professional photographer working with us at the booth to take pictures of anyone who wants a shot of them and/or the family in front of their choice of two aircraft that have been offered to us for this money making proposition. We will also have some volunteers working with the Port parking aircraft. T-shirts with the WPA logo will be sold for $ If this sort of thing interests you and you d like to volunteer two hours or more of your time, see Maureen or myself to get set up. Volunteers get a free T-shirt, admission and a parking pass. There will be a safety and training meeting BBQ diner the night before. Gate 11 will be for GA. On the political front, directors and presidents of WPA have been attending various meetings around the State held by the JLARC (Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee) to determine whether the Aviation Division of the Washington State Department of Transportation should break away and become a separate organization. They will submit their findings and recommendations to the State Legislators June 22. If you would like to learn more go to for the latest information. That s how it is at WPA. Sometimes we revel with some pretty interesting speakers; other times we fight for our airspace and political values. Check our web site at for updates and events. We should all be ready to fly. Chip LaPlante Bellingham Chapter WPA President CHUCKANUT FLYING CLUB The Chuckanut Flying Club has a few positions available and is seeking pilots to fill those positions. Those that wish to apply may do so via the world wide web, at: If you have any questions, feel free to contact CFC Membership Officer James Walsh at (360)

2 MASTER INSTRUCTOR RENEWAL Richard Luke recently renewed his Master Instructor designation. Rick is an independent flight instructor and designated pilot examiner in the Bellingham area. He is active in the Washington Pilot s Association and also serves as an Aviation Safety Counselor for the Seattle FSDO. The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) takes pride in announcing a significant aviation accomplishment on the part of Richard A Luke, an Aviation Safety Counselor for the Seattle FSDO and a resident of Bellingham, WA. Recently, Rick s designation as a Master CFI (Certificated Flight Instructor) was renewed by NAFI, his professional aviation organization. To help put this achievement in its proper perspective, there are approximately 81,000 CFIs in the United States. Fewer than three hundred of them have achieved that distinction thus far. The last seven national Flight Instructors of the Year were Master CFIs while Rick is one of only 12 Washington aviation educators who have earned this prestigious Master title. The Master Instructor designation is a national accreditation recognized by the FAA that is earned by a candidate through a rigorous process of continuing education and peer review. Much like a flight instructor s certificate, it must be renewed biennially. This process parallels the continuing education regimen used by other professionals to enhance their knowledge base while increasing their professionalism. Simply put, the Master Instructor designation is a means by which to identify those outstanding aviation educators, those Teachers of Flight, who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to excellence, professional growth, and service to the aviation community. Earning this designation is tantamount to having the words summa cum laude emblazoned on an instructor s certificate. These Masters truly represent the crème de la crème of our industry! To publicly recognize these individuals and their noteworthy accomplishments, NAFI will be hosting its Meet the Masters breakfasts, to which Rick will be invited, during EAA s AirVenture in Oshkosh and Sun n Fun in Lakeland. Any support that can be provided will be appreciated. NAFI was founded in 1967 and is dedicated to raising and maintaining the professional standing of flight instructors throughout the nation, as well as providing a safe and effective learning environment for student pilots. In addition, NAFI initiates education and support programs throughout the aviation industry. The Association affiliated with EAA in May of Please feel free to disseminate this information. Questions regarding the Master Instructor program should be directed to or NAFIMasters@aol.com or visit NAFI s website at ACCESS TO INTERNET WEATHER SITE The recommended means by which you can access NOAA online for our area is as follows: First, enter the address of and click National Weather Service, Seattle, Washington-Aviation Page when it becomes available. You will then notice you have the address getaviation?seatafpae in your address bar. Simply replace the PAE ending with BLI and then save this address to your favorites--and it should work from there. (thanks to Steve Albert)

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4 DELAYED PHASE-OUT OF NAVAIDS Transportation and Defense department officials said Tuesday that the government has once again delayed plans to rely on GPS as the primary means of U.S. navigation for fear of blocking and jamming. The 2001 Federal Radionavigation Plan effectively extends the life of land-based radio navaids such as VORs and NDBs. The phase-out is slated to begin in 2010, two years later than expected, and depends on program progress and the rate of user equipment upgrades. The Department of Transportation (DOT) plans to make a decision on the future of loran sometime this year once studies on its viability are completed. This announcement provides aircraft owners adequate time for planning their navigation upgrades. It s important for the DOT to step up and provide the navaid systems and, more important, the capabilities on schedule, said Randy Kenagy, AOPA director of advanced technology. MYSTERY OF THE DISAPPEARING WIND SOCK AT KBLI An investigation into the disappearance of the KBLI windsock from mid-field has concluded. Port of Bellingham engineers have determined that the wind velocity, coupled with the parasite drag of the synthetic sock fabric caused a rapid phase reversal in the longitudinal bearing of the sock. These factors resulted in the wind velocity exceeding the design limitations of the aeronautical indicator and it therefore separated from the structural support mast. A second option from Del in the tower was the thing just blew away. The Port has initiated the replacement process and we should see a new sock installed before this time next year. APRIL MEETING MINUTES The meeting was called to order by Chip LaPlante at 8:05. He announced that Brian Webster from Aviation Egress Systems would give his presentation for the evening and that Rick Luke would be the speaker for the May meeting. In June the club will be bringing Wally Funk, who has been flying professionally since 1957 and among her many accomplishments is training for a trip in space with the Russian space program in 2004 or Bailey Shuchuck has donated his air miles to Wally to fly her here. Gary Oaksford has arranged to have several CFIs at the meeting for anyone interested in working on the wings program. Attending the presentation at this meeting qualifies pilots for the ground portion of the wings program. Additionally pilots must complete three hours of flight with a flight instructor; one hour of maneuvers, one hour of instrument, and one hour of landings. This not only replaces the need of a biannual flight review, but also is favored by some insurance companies. The Lynden Fly-In is June 1st. Jason Jenson is here from Lynden to answer any questions. There will be a seminar at the Skagit Fly-In on Saturday the 13th at 10:00 a.m. for information flying into Canada. AirFest is on June 16th and there will be a charge this year of $2.00 to cover security. The general publicís gate will be at gate 7, and the vendors will be at gate 6B. AirFest T-shirts will be sold for $15.00 or given free to those who volunteer to help that day. Volunteer will be needed for the photo booth, the raffle for the free flight, and for the WPA booth.

5 There will be a Bar-B-Que the evening before for the volunteers and at that time will receive a free ticket for admission. Carol Young will be starting two ground school classes at Bellingham Technical College. Tuesday, April 16th an Instrument class will start, and on Wednesday, the 17th the Private Pilot will start. BLUE ANGELS IN ACTION (thanks to Jack Herrick and Glenn Ward) Chip Laplante introduced Brian Webster with Aviation Egress Systems. Brian and his wife came over from Victoria for the meeting. Brian gave a very interesting and informative presentation and demonstration. Egress training is of great value if the situation arises that an emergency exit from a sinking cockpit is required. The meeting was adjourned by Chip LaPlante at 8:40 p.m. SECURITY? For those that work for the airlines you should appreciate this...for those that do not...well you still may... Almost 150 years ago, President Lincoln found it necessary to hire a private investigator - Alan Pinkerton - for protection. And that was the beginning of the Secret Service. Since that time, federal police authority has grown to a large number of multi-letter agencies - FBI, CIA, INS, IRS, DEA, BATF, etc. Now we have the Federal Air Transportation Airport Security Service. Can t you see them now, these highly trained men and women in their black outfits with their initials in large white letters across their backs: FATASS. I feel safer already...

6 WPA ONLINE The Bellingham WPA has a World Wide Web site available for your perusal. It is located at Also, our site can be found via the WPA page, located at To keep the Bellingham WPA site an enjoyable site to visit, we are hoping for member contributions. Some contribution ideas: Photography: Every month, the site will feature a member s aircraft as the home page picture. We would require a print, 3 x5 or 5 x7 to scan and place onto the page. If we re unable to obtain a member aircraft picture, we would also consider a photograph that is otherwise appropriate (i.e.: scenery, activity). News: Notification of any activities that would be interesting to our local pilots. Classifieds: For Sale and Want to Buy notices. Suggestions: Just as this is your newsletter, this is your web site, so any comments or suggestions are readily welcomed. For contributions or anything else concerning the web site, please contact Jack Herrick; 3802 James St. Rd. #84, Bellingham WA Phone: (360) @ .msn.com OUR BRIDGE President Chip LaPlante kidkomet@msn.com Vice President Rick Miller rmiller64@attbi.com Secretary Carol Young print@nas.com Treasurer Dave Kriener DIRECTORS Maureen Griggs wpguro@attbi.com Paul Grey pgreyfly@aol.com Bailey Shewchuk shewchukb@attbi.com NEWSLETTER Royal Sefton, II sefton80@attbi.com Royal Sefton, III rs3@splitsyndicate.com JOIN NOW! Join your fellow pilots and avaiation enthusiasts. Become a member of the Bellingham Chapter of the Washington Pilots Association. The Bellingham Chapter represents members from Whatcom, Skagit, and San Juan Counties. To be a member, you need not be a pilot but only have an interest in and promote general aviation. Name last first mi Spouse last first mi Address City State Zip Phone The $31 Chapter dues are comprised of $21 State and $10 local dues. Active CFIs are charged $1 for State dues and soloed student pilots receive first year State dues at no charge. Also offered, on a voluntary basis, is a year subscription to the GA News for $25. State dues (Standard) $21 (Active CFI) $1 (soloed student) free (n/a) Local dues (all) $10 GA news (voluntary) $25 Total enclosed $ Please mail completed form and check (payable to Bellingham WPA) to Dave Kriener, Treasurer, Bellingham WPA, 4457 Sucia Dr., Ferndale WA

7 ANNOUNCEMENT The Hangar Talk newsletter mails out about 100 copies each month. Most of these copies, of course, go to members of the Bellingham Chapter of the Washington Pilots Association. However, there are numerous copies mailed to interested persons and companies outside the membership. Some copies go to State entities such as the State WPA President and editor of the Wings publication. We believe that Hangar Talk reaches a suprising number of people. We wish to offer to all interested persons and businesses to advertise their services in Hangar Talk. A sum of $50 will purchase a year (ten issues) of business card advertising. Please send a check payable to Bellingham WPA and a business card to: Dave Kriener, Treasurer Bellingham WPA 4457 Sucia Dr. Ferndale WA 98248