Questions & Answers
The following are common questions related to the upcoming elections. For specific regulations, please refer to the Club's Bylaws on the WVFC website.

Q. Who is eligible to vote?
A. Regular members, owners, CFIs and associate members are eligible to vote. Inactive members and members with delinquent accounts are not eligible to vote.

Q. Who is eligible to run for a board seat?
A. Two at-large seats and one aircraft owner seat are up for election this year. Only members who are non-CFIs and members who are non-owners may fill at-large seats. A member who has one or more airplanes at WVFC may fill the owner seat. If a WVFC owner is also a WVFC CFI, he or she may run for the owner seat and must specifically disclose that dual owner/CFI status in his or her candidate statement.

Q. What kind of commitment does board membership require?
A. Each director - and the board as a whole - has a fiduciary responsibility to ensure the fulfillment of the club's mandate as specified in the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws. The board generally meets four times per quarter. In addition to specific roles such as Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, board members are responsible for other special projects and provide a sounding board for the General Manager. On average, each director spends at least 15 hours per month on WVFC business, with significant variance between busy months (for example, monthly financial reviews, fiscal year-end, operational review, elections, budgetary reviews, strategic planning, etc.)

Q. Should I run for a board seat?
A. The WVFC is a complex operation with diverse constituencies and yearly revenues of $5 million. A diversity of skills and experience is very valuable to an effective board of directors. Please run for a board seat if you can make a genuine contribution and commit the time and effort for the duration of the two-year term.

Q. Can I witness the counting of votes?
A. Yes, members are welcome and encouraged to witness the vote counting process. The vote counting schedule will be finalized in the next few weeks.

For any election-related questions, please contact Ettore Leale, Board Member and Election Officer, at eleale@wvfc.org.

Well, we have cracked into the new fiscal year, and are on schedule to deliver the Annual Report in June. In a very brief overview, last fiscal year went very well. The theme was generally repair and recovery, and to that end we performed very well. The debts are almost all gone, the payables are on time, and the feeling around the club is positive. The next steps are evolvement and growth. This is on every front - customer service, speed of processes, and bandwidth of aircraft, services, and locations. BTW, as a reminder, any time you refer a new member to the club and he or she signs up you will get one month's dues credit. How can you pass up that great deal? This is a team effort, and our existing members can provide our best marketing.

The San Carlos remodel is finished. There was a strong team effort to get this done with minimal expense. Please take a look at the new SQL and let us know what you think. Joel, Chris and Helene worked their you know whats off to get this done, and I feel that it really shows well. The Palo Alto Accounting office is nearing completion. This, too, was a strong team effort. Drop by and poke your head in to see what the new look and feel is.

I would like to thank Alan Groves and Chandu Thekkath for their very generous hardware donations, as well as Justin Warren for his work in securing additional much-needed items, and Peter Carpenter, Jeff Willwerth, Dean Bullock, and Patti Andrews for their help and contributions. Thanks to all of you, as this is the kind of involvement that keeps us ticking. Literally. Part of what we are working on with the club is to upgrade both our software and hardware. Increasing our infrastructure's reliability and performance will go a long way to enhancing the membership experience at WVFC. Thanks again for your support.

Finally, on the growth note, HWD is moving along. We are currently accessing the aircraft we will be putting on line there. If you have input into this, please let me know. Our tentative schedule is to break ground Monday, May 3, start flights by May 10, and have a groundbreaking party by June 5. Please email me if you have any questions or feedback, or would like to be involved in planning the groundbreaking party..

A consistent theme throughout this month's newsletter will be the smell of burnt rubber. The kind we are talking about is that of the dreaded flat spots left on tires. I don't intend to steal the thunder from the article down under, (Chief Pilot's Corner); however, I would like to add my change on this.

Please exit the runway as soon as you can without locking up the tires. There is no reason to attempt to force the aircraft off the runway. The key to this is to remember that the brakes are not going to be effective until the lift has significantly diminished on the wing; in other words, aerodynamic braking prior to wheel braking. Sometimes, controllers ask pilots to expedite off the runway; however, pilots should only comply with this request if they are able to do so safely, without locking up the tires. Ken and I are setting up a meeting with Tower personnel to go over the language they use in encouraging pilots to expedite off the runway. Even if this language does not change, please keep in mind that you, as Pilot in Command, are responsible for determining the safe outcome of your flight.

Thanks for your support.

Well, the sun is out and the flying is easy! It is great to see so many airplanes flying again and all that that brings us.

One of the things that happens when flying hours increase is more airplane damage. One flight went to Half Moon Bay and the left wing tip struck a fence. The person this happened to reported it.

When our members take responsibility for any damage to a plane it is like they own the plane. I know because I have to pay for any damage to my own plane.

More often, even though it should be obvious to the pilot when damage is done to a plane, the damage is not reported. For example, a Cessna SP was backed into the wing of another SP and no one is taking responsibility for the damage. Three members with CFIs on board rented the plane (three possible reservations), and no one has owned up to the damage.

The expectation must be that someone else will pay for the damage... the owner, the club, or the next renter who doesn't do a thorough preflight. The trouble with the club paying for unreported damage is that this would come out of your dues! Is this fair?

Damage squawked during preflight should be checked by a West Valley employee or CFI prior to flight. In the future, when damage is squawked in this manner, I will notify the previous pilot(s). If the plane is flown without having the damage first checked by a West Valley employee or CFI, that member will be charged. This procedure is in the membership regulations and will be enforced!

Okay, so avgas supposedly contains a known carcinogen. But are there mornings when you wake up and wish you could take a deep breath of avgas to start your day? Good, then we have something in common. This morning, during my pre-flight check, and when my instructor wasn't looking, I deliberately spilled avgas on my hands so that when I got to work, all I had to do was take in a mere whiff of my hand and instantly be whisked into the clouds, which is where my head has been lately anyway. Unfortunately, later in the day when I needed a mental break from work, I scanned around to make sure no one was looking and took a big snort of my hand only to find that the sweet aroma of avgas was no longer there! We can send people to the moon, for Pete's sake, is it too much to ask that some chemists make an avgas that will stay in your skin? Never mind the fact that it's carcinogenic - that's not what's important here! Of course, whenever you're filling up your car and spill gasoline on your hands, you have to cut your hand off to get rid of the smell, but regrettably not so with our beloved avgas.

So the next time I went flying, I took it to the next level (isn't that what being a student pilot is all about?). I doused the sleeve of my $100 work shirt in the stuff, knowing that THIS had to work. Again, I was sadly mistaken. What must I do to get my olfactory fix while I am away from the airport? No doubt I'm getting the negative carcinogenic "benefits," but not the positive benefits of feeling closer to my adored Cessna 172SP.

Fortunately for the safety of those around me, I found another way to have my aviation fix while I am at work. I plug in my headphones and pick an Internet site that has live streams of various ATC towers around the country. The sounds of strangers' voices giving their short bursts of identification and clearances keep me company for hours on end. During those long days at work, I've been known to make it through more than half a phonetic alphabet of ATISs. The only problem with this is that I have found it difficult after listening for hours to mentally detach myself and my communication from aviation speak. When someone calls and asks to whom they're speaking, I reply "Skyhawk five-niner-zero-sierra-papa. Oh, I have another call coming in, position and hold please." Click. "I'm sorry, you have the wrong number. You can squawk him at extension niner one three, zero-sierra-papa, thank you, good day." Click. "Sorry for the position and hold…ident, please…sure, I'll taxi via hallway foxtrot in a few minutes and we can stand ready in sequence at Starbucks, zero-sierra-papa, thank you, good day."

So how far gone am I? Am I a hopeless case? These are only the behaviors that are manifest in front of others. Luckily, no one knows that I dance in the elevator on my way to work after a morning of flying. Nor does anyone know that I periodically have to take bathroom breaks so that I can dance in there, too, and bleed off some of my adrenaline. I'd say I'm pretty far gone. But I like to think that I'm in good company with others who have recently discovered the wondrous world of wings.

Flyby, Voice of the Sierra Papas
If you wish to contact Flyby, please squawk her at TestaDellaCorsa@cs.com

I ran across a great definition of training the other day. "Training is arranging your life around practices that will allow you to accomplish what you could not accomplish with direct effort." For those of us who have run marathons, we know that before we began training, simply going out and running one would have been impossible, even with the motivation of "if you can't keep running, I'll pull the trigger." Might as well shoot now and save all the pain. But most folks with the dedication to arrange their lives around the proper practices can run an entire marathon. It isn't easy, and it may not be all that fast, but as they say at Angell Field, "To enter is to compete; to finish is to win."

No amount of direct effort will allow you to juggle four balls, shoot 50% from three point range, throw a 95 MPH fastball, do a triple axel, or deal seconds or bottoms without getting caught. And if those relatively simple things require training, what about something complex, like flying?

Remember your first flight? In all probability you did the takeoff, and much of the flying, but you didn't get to do the landing. In fact, no amount of effort on your part would have resulted in a real landing. You probably would have arrived somewhere near the runway environment, but the results were better after just a few hours of training. I'm pretty sure that an attempted landing on MY first flight would have involved some insurance folks and sheet-metal workers, to say nothing of EMTs, the NTSB and the FAA.

Our members currently working on a new rating truly understand this definition, because they've had to rearrange their lives to accommodate the time necessary to learn and master the required maneuvers and ground material. But what about the rest of us? Any of our experienced instructors will tell you (based solely upon the results on Flight Reviews) that over 90% of our members can't meet the standards of their rating without additional practice. And they are trying really hard during the Flight Review. However, they haven't trained to accomplish what needs to be done.

Let me give three examples of folks who are doing it right. There is an instrument pilot who books me once a month solely to throw stressful situations at him. These typically involve diversions, equipment failures, and particularly nasty approaches. As a result, he is always on top of his game and continues to fly to the Instrument PTS in all his maneuvers - actually, he performs most of them to ATP standards, which is exceptional considering that he has less than 500 hours total.

Similarly, a multi-engine pilot called me a couple of weeks ago to ask me to wring him out on emergency procedures. He said he'd been flying multi-engine for about 18 months but hadn't done any single engine work in nearly that time, which made him feel uncomfortable. So we took a Duchess and failed the engine during a takeoff roll, then simulated a failure at 200 feet and actually landed straight ahead (at Modesto, where the tower guy had never seen that maneuver) just as we briefed before the takeoff roll. We simulated cabin and electrical fires, including emergency descents at just under Vne, and proved we could have made the field. These and other maneuvers need to be practiced if one has any hope of using them successfully. In the real situation, you get only one shot, and it's got to be right. In this video game you don't get extra lives.

Finally, I got a call from a Pilatus owner in Salt Lake City who wanted to do some maneuvers in his Pilatus that aren't particularly effective in a non-motion simulator. We spent a day depressurizing at altitude and doing emergency descents, using the oxygen masks, overriding runaway trim, simulating engine out under IFR and making it to landable runways, and simulating failures to virtually every system on the plane. He actually liked it so much he wants to come back next year in addition to going to SimCom for his recurrency training!

Each of these pilots has gone well beyond the FAR 61 currency requirements. Each is a pilot who performs better than the license held, and each recognizes that training is an on-going process for the truly competent pilot.

"Training is arranging your life around practices that will allow you to accomplish what you could not accomplish with direct effort."

Are you up for some training?

Note: The FAA has just published an updated Instrument Rating PTS. As our Chief Pilot, Ken Frank, predicted, it includes an Emergency Task dealing with loss of PDF in technically advanced aircraft. The April 2004 Instrument Rating PTS will be effective October 2004. The previous PTS will then be obsolete.

GROUND PORTION, Continued
Last month, we looked at preparation for the ground portion of the practical test. This month, we discuss the execution.

First, let me say that your examiner (me, if I'm lucky) wants you to pass the test. No DPE wants to have more than his or her share of failures. It is bad for business.

Checking the Reference
No one is perfect. I have never seen a perfect Practical Test. You will make mistakes along the way. When the examiner asks a question and you are unsure of the answer, please avoid guessing. Instead, say that you are unsure of the answer and ask if you can look it up. You have brought all your reference material with you. Now is the time to use it.

Two areas in which you should never need to use your references are emergency procedures and airspace. When you get an electrical fire in the cockpit, you want to know what to do now. (Of course, in the cockpit, you use your checklist to ensure that you have not forgotten any item.) It is awkward to try to check the cloud clearance you are allowed by Part 91 while looking for your destination airport. Know emergency procedures and airspace cold for your safety and that of your passengers.

In most planning scenarios, you would probably have the time to check the references. If you were unsure of whether your next flight required an operational ELT, you could easily check FAR 91.207.

In order to make this work, you must be familiar with the references. The basic references are your sectional and terminal area charts, the A/FD, the AIM, Parts 61 and 91, and the aircraft POH. Generally, except for the POH, you should use government sources.

It is a good idea to tab your references prior to the test. Use the PTS and/or your CFI to guide you as to which sections are likely to come up. For that matter, it is helpful if you tab your own pilot logbook and the aircraft maintenance logs. Again, consult the PTS or your CFI as to where you should put the tabs.

By tabbing your references, you expedite the look-up. Your examiner will be pleased because you are prepared. He or she will also be happy that you are not wasting time. Unlike your CFI, who charges by the hour, your DPE charges a flat fee, and does not appreciate a test that eats into the lunch hour or happy hour.

Whatever you do, do not start flipping through the FAR/AIM aimlessly looking for the answer. At least look at the table of contents or the index if you are unsure of where the information is hiding.

A pet peeve of mine is an applicant who, after a frantic search for the solution to, say, a night currency scenario, starts reading me the FAR word-for-word. The idea is to show understanding, not your ability to read aloud.

Hopefully, you will not need to look up many items. Of course, charts and graphs need not be memorized. Outside of that, if you need to look up more than three or four answers, maybe you should have studied more. Maybe you will get another chance.

Are You Sure?
If you do risk taking a stab at an answer, beware. If the examiner responds with, "Are you sure about that?" do not try to defend your answer. Stop. Think. The chance is very good that your answer was dead wrong. Your DPE is giving you a chance to pass the test. Don't blow it.

The Preflight Inspection
Included in the ground portion of the test is the aircraft preflight inspection. Be sure to have a checklist. You may use it as a do-list or an after-the-fact checklist. But do use it.

Note that most aircraft POH checklists require that the stall warning device be checked for proper operation. That does not mean just look to see that the hole is clear. You need to know that it works. On some airplanes this requires that you apply suction to the aperture. If you are unable or unwilling to use your mouth (understandable), get a suction device. Sporty's charges $10 for the small plastic gizmo. Worth the price for those who don't fancy 172 wing chin-ups.

Some aircraft have optional systems that require a special operating handbook be onboard. Check in the POH supplements (Section 9). If the limitations section for that equipment states that its operating handbook is required, then the aircraft is not airworthy without it.

Please do not forget the windscreen. Those squashed bugs obscure the scenery!

**Bonanza Seminar - May 8, 10am, Palo Alto**
Have you ever wanted to fly a Bonanza? How does $90/hr checkout sound for flying one of the nicest and affordable aircraft around? N828R is a high-performance, complex airplane, a breeze to fly, and quite affordable at about $1/knot (165 knot cruise). To give members a chance to find out more about this beautiful airplane, there is a Seminar scheduled for Saturday, May 8th at WVFC Palo Alto. Presented by Ray Debs and a WVFC Instructor, the seminar will cover the essentials of the BE K-35 and go over the extensive avionics and systems including Garmin GNS430 Color IFR GPS, Sandel EHSI, and other features of this airplane. The seminar will also cover basic high performance, fuel injected operations - specifically with respect to the BE K-35 - and the use of the engine monitoring equipment - JPI EDM 800, the use of the STEC-55 auto pilot, all of which will give you a great start in getting your ground review form filled in and well on the way to be checked out in this excellent touring airplane in time for the summer. There is no need to register, just show up Saturday May 8th at 10am. WVFC - Palo Alto - of course RSVPing to rdebs@micron.com will ensure that we don't run short on donuts.

**Hayward Proficiency Air Race - 13-15 May**
Tired of the $100 hamburger? Looking for something different to do with your favorite airplane? Then consider putting your flight planning and piloting skills to the test in the 40th Annual Hayward Proficiency Air Race, to be held May 13-15, 2004. The race is essentially an airborne "road rally," with pilots graded on their ability to complete two 250-nm routes as close as possible to their pre-flight estimates of time enroute and fuel consumption. There have been entries from WVFC over the years, and since this is the longest running event of this type in North America, what better place to earn your bragging rights around the club? Participation in the race counts as credit under the FAA's "Wings" Pilot Proficiency Program. Visit the race web site at www.hwdairrace.org for more information. You may also e-mail the race committee at info@hwdairrace.org. Chris Verbil is heading up this effort for the Hayward Air Race Committee.

**Landing Fundraiser - May 14-23**
Help member Mike Shiflett raise funds for the June 6-12 AIDS/Lifecycle Ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Have friends, family or colleagues sponsor you for a buck a landing for every landing you log (max 20) between May 14 and May 23. All those bucks will go to a good cause, and you'll hone your landing skills along the way. Mike will be wearing a WVFC shirt on "Hill Day," and all members who contribute to the cause are encouraged to sign it to show their support. For more information on the Ride check out Mike's website at http://www.aidslifecycle.org/2295. For information about the Fundraiser contact Patti Andrews at whatsup@wvfc.org.

**SQL Unveil & BBQ - 21 May 18:00**
The first BBQ of the year and a chance for you to check out the new look at SQL.

**Renters Insurance Seminar - 22 May 10:00 PAO**
Come for coffee, donuts, and great information regarding renters insurance. A representative of WVFC's insurance broker will make the presentation. For more information email the GM at gm@wvfc.org.

**Moffett Air and Space Show - 29-30 May 10:00 NUQ**
The Sky Is The Limit At The Air Expo At Moffett Field 2004! Come and enjoy the thrills and chills of an exciting event featuring The United States Air Force Thunderbirds in their first appearance since 1988! There will be lots of food and activities for the whole family to enjoy! Do not miss it. Gates open 09:00-05:00.

**The Original West Valley Flying Club Singles Night - 05 June, 18:00, PAO**
Are you single? Do want to meet others who won't be offended if you would rather fly than look at upholstery swatches or watch the arena football game? Then bring some food (store bought is fine, of course - we're single, we don't cook!) and anything else you think will score you a date, and come on out! Non-members are welcome… all that's required is a shared love of flying. Please RSVP to Erin Seidemann at TestaDellaCorsa@cs.com so we'll know how much food to not cook.

**Aerobatics Seminar - 13 June, 09:00-17:30 PAO**
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!! Do you know what to do if your aircraft rolls upside down? Ever wanted to try loops or the occasional hammerhead? Join WVFC's Aerobatic CFIs in a day of discovery. 09:00 to approximately 10:30 will be a ground session which will cover unusual attitude recovery and basic aerobatics as well as aircraft and parachute familiarization. Starting at 11:00, we will have three aircraft available (Super Decathlons N102EC and N723CL and Citabria N53823) for a 1-hour hands-on flight - 15 flights available. The cost of the clinic is $60 + hobbs time. To reserve a slot, please contact Torea Rodriguez at globug@mac.com.

NEW!! **Whitewater Rafting Fly-in - 31 July-01 Aug**
Come and join us for an exhilarating day of whitewater rafting on the beautiful South Fork American River! The "South Fork" is a class III river that winds through the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. Its waters offer the perfect mix of beautiful scenery and exciting rapids. And the best part is, we're flying there. We will be landing at Placerville Airport where a shuttle will be waiting to transport us to the river. After a day of rafting, we will camp out at the American River Resort and rest up for the morning flight home. No prior whitewater experience is required. A pre-trip meeting will be held at the San Carlos office on Monday, July 26th at 7pm. Costs are still being worked out but are estimated at $120-$130/person plus airplane rentals and food. Please contact Jim Roach for more info and to sign up. kunafloat@yahoo.com.

Handling In-Flight Emergencies
Presented by Ken Frank, CFI, CFII, MEI - Chief Pilot, West Valley Flying Club
Wednesday, May 12, 7:00pm - PAO

This seminar will cover some extremely valuable information that you will hopefully never use. Drawn from real-world experience, Ken will provide numerous strategies for handling in-flight emergencies. Among other things, Ken has successfully dealt with engine failures, an oil system failure, tire blow-outs on landing, and an electrical failure in instrument conditions. With over five years as the West Valley Flying Club Chief Pilot, Ken has also learned a tremendous amount from the experiences of West Valley club members.

Ken Frank holds CFI, CFII, MEI, Lighter-than-Air, and Balloon ratings. He has over 13,000 hours flight time and has flown every type of certified aircraft in existence, including airplanes, helicopters, rotorcraft, gliders, hot air balloons, jets, a P51, a Jenny, and the Goodyear Blimp.

Seeing Double Is a Good Thing
Presented by Peter Del Vecchio, CFI, CFII, MEI
Wednesday, May 19, 7:00pm - SQL

Are twins really twice as much fun to fly as single-engine aircraft? Find out in this seminar. Learn how to transition from single-engine to twin-engine aircraft. This seminar will cover twin-engine terminology, the pros and cons of flying twins, and what's involved in learning to fly a light twin. We'll compare the current popular training twins and some of the new twins just being released to market.

Peter Del Vecchio is a flight instructor at West Valley Flying Club and has CFI, CFII and MEI ratings. Coming from a background in high tech (chip design) he specializes in high performance, technically advanced, and twin-engine aircraft. He also organizes the FAA Safety Seminars for West Valley.

The club currently has three ground schools in progress or starting soon. You may join any ground school mid-session. These courses are open to anyone. Membership at WVFC is not required, so feel free to invite along a non-member friend or acquaintance who is also interested in learning how to fly.

**Instrument Ground School meets Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 9:00 pm for 8 weeks at PAO with instructor Jim Roach. The cost is a $200, one-time fee; you may then re-attend this Instrument Ground School as often as you like. Next session starts June 1. Contact Jim at kunafloat@yahoo.com.

**PAO Private Pilot Ground School meets Thursdays from 6:30 pm with instructor Kyp Kypta. The cost for the course is a once-only charge of $100, after which you may attend any and all sessions as often as you like. Next session starts May 6. Contact Kyp at lkypta@earthlink.net.

**SQL Private Pilot Ground School meets Tuesdays from 6:30 to 9:00 pm with instructors Molly Davis and Justin Warren. The cost is $200. Current session began April 6. For information, contact Molly Davis at molly_s_davis@hotmail.com; or Justin Warren at justinwarren@sbcglobal.net.

The 30 Cafe is a little coffee shop at the Half Moon Bay airport. Your two choices for window seating are Highway 1 and the 30 runway itself. The menu is your typical greasy spoon airport cafe fare. I am a slave to the prototypical cheeseburger; alas, I typically order the P51, mmmmmmh good. Any opportunity to add sourdough bread to my artery-blocking sandwich is met with much exuberance. I have on occasion sampled their omelets, which far exceed any and all expectations, particularly based on the price… and the addition of 5 bonus points due to the fact that the restaurant is on an airport, which in and of itself adds bonus points to most meals. The coffee is particularly good, and refilled without request, which is a plus for any "coffee shop." I am always surprised when it requires multiple requests to get a refill on my coffee at a coffee shop; the hypocrisy kills me. The only downside to their piping hot, pleasant tasting brew (Tully's) is your flight back to PAO or SQL amped up on 3-4 cups of Joe. I take mine black, so I have a tendency to hope that whatever training plane I'm flying will turn into a Super Charged Lance, cruising back at the same pace my heart is racing.

Finally, the charm of the staff is always worth the visit. I brought a female student over for a coffee break after a heavy bout of landing practice, and she was greeted with, "I'd better get God on the phone and let him know that an angel is at one of my tables." This was only improved upon when I repeated the visit with another female student, who got the same welcome. In any case, the place is filled with good energy, charm, aviation sights, food, and coffee. The only drawback is the challenge of finding a fog free day to fly on over. Roger says two thumbs up; take advantage of these off-shore breezes and pay them a visit.

Roger Wilco Over and Out.