 OPEN BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Tuesday, April 19, 7:00 pm, Palo Alto Classroom.
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
This month's winner is Julie Greenburg. Recently added to the front desk staff, Julie has quickly accelerated to become a great addition to the WVFC family. Known for her spicy demeanor and constant smile, Julie continues to charm the new and the well entrenched WVFC member. Julie is also working on becoming a pilot. Thanks for the hard work Julie.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Solo
Private
Instrument Checkride
Commercial ASEL
The Proud CFIs:
NEW MEMBERS
Chris Eckerle
FLEET UPDATE
DISCOUNT RATE ON 172SP 236SP
New to SQL is N236SP, a Cessna 172SP with IFR KLN94 color moving map GPS, dual KX155 radios, leather seats, and 120kt cruise speed. The owners have set up a nice web site at www.cessna172sp.com. Contact them for special discounts off the standard $118 per hour. The owners, Chris Neumann and Elie Curetti, love their new plane and are frequently out at the airport cleaning it inside and out.
SUGGESTION BOX
Do you have a suggestion or a bit of feedback for the club? Send it to whatsup@wvfc.org.
THE FLYER
The Flyer is the monthly newsletter of the West Valley Flying Club. For more information about the club, please call our Palo Alto office at (650) 856-2030, our San Carlos office at (650) 595-5912, or our Hayward office at (510) 781-0101. For information about the newsletter, or to submit an article, contact the Editor at whatsup@wvfc.org.
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by Josh Smith, General Manager
I wanted to take this month to answer to the group as a whole regarding insurance. Specifically I would like to chat about A) the club's insurance and B) non-owner insurance otherwise known as renter's insurance.
First the club policy. Simply put the club's coverage is the following:
If you are involved in an incident there are two deductibles.
Out of the last ten incidents eight were caused by pilot negligence, the other two were bird strikes. At the end of the day being careful and considerate is what keeps you safe, the plane safe and not having to tap into insurance.
Then there is renter's insurance. This can help you cover the deductible and cover any additional liability. The renter's insurance comes in two packages, liability and damage.
Liability insurance is what covers damage to property outside of the aircraft, as well as covering potential legal coverage.
The cost of this ranges from $95-$240 a year which provides $250K - $1 Million worth of coverage.
Damage covers the deductible and could supply additional coverage to the damaged aircraft.
The yearly cost on this coverage is $125 - $1425 for coverage ranging from $5000 - $150K.
Some people say you cannot have enough insurance; however, I would get the minimum physical damage coverage, and this will cover your deductible to the club. I would recommend getting the liability coverage that makes sense for you individually. I would probably recommend the $500K coverage.
Finally, you can get liability alone; however, if you want the physical damage coverage you have to purchase liability coverage as well. For the $500K of liability with the minimal physical damage, your annual payment is around $300.00.
For more information you can contact our insurance broker Chris Zanette at (650) 593-3030 or if you are a member of AOPA, NAFI, EAA or own your own aircraft, they should have a non-owner policy. Please send an E mail to me if you have any other questions, gm@wvfc.org.
THE CHIEF'S CORNER
by Ken Frank, Chief Pilot
The GM and I would like to welcome Dominique Marais-Lebegue as the new Assistant Chief to West Valley Flying Club. Dominique comes to us from Jeppesen Flight planning and as a previous Chief Pilot/Director of Operations at Palo Alto Flying Club. Originally from France, Dominique has a Bachelor's degree in languages and philosophy and previously worked at Oracle in Redwood Shores. Dominique will report to me, and start in the beginning of April. By May, we will have Chief's Office coverage six days a week. Dominique, who is very well spoken and has recently completed editing "Piloting with Confidence," will be an excellent addition to WVFC. Welcome to the family. I will continue to be the Chief of WVFC for the next year as Dominique is brought up to speed.
FLIGHT TRAINING v. THE REAL WORLD
by Dave Fry, Aviation Safety Counselor.
One of the favorite topics of conversation during an Air Force training assignment is what things are like in the "real Air Force." Interestingly enough, in my 32 years in the AF, I'm not sure I was ever in the "real Air Force."
In our flight training, there are elements of the artificial, and differences between training and the real world. During training, you know the engine is going to "quit" sometime during every phase check, and it could "quit" almost any time after the topic is raised during training. As a result, we are diligent about keeping landing spots in sight and maybe even a plan on how to get there. In the real world, engine failures come as a surprise, and judging by the results and the NTSB reports, most folks don't have a field or a plan.
In flight training, when the engine quits one can do a go-around if the field can't be made, or if it's not an actual airport. In the real world you get one chance, and if it doesn't work out, you're landing anyway.
In flight training, there is usually a runway in gliding distance of where the engine "quit." If you do things right in the real world the same thing can be true. The "nearest" function on a GPS can be really handy. So can planning and situational awareness.
In flight training, when an engine "quits," it keeps windmilling at idle power. In the real world, there is a load of variety. Sometimes the engine stops dead (loss of oil pressure, for example), sometimes it's a partial loss of power (bad plug, bad mag, cracked cylinder, carb icing…), sometimes it's a vibration so severe that only a lower RPM will keep the plane from tearing itself apart. As you may imagine, each of these scenarios results in a different glide profile, and the one we typically practice is worst case, but it is different from what you may experience in the real world.
In flight training, when the com fails, it's usually because the instructor turned the switch off. In the real world, billows of acrid smoke from under the instrument panel may accompany a com failure. Or, perhaps the prelude is an alternator failure, or unbeknownst to the pilot, a wire could have come loose under the panel. In any case, the problem may be substantially more difficult to diagnose.
In flight training, a gyro failure is usually shown by a couple of soap holders over the attitude indicator and the heading indicator. In the real world, the offending gyro will usually drift away from the correct indication, and the pilot will have conflicting indications from the various instruments, leading to real problems determining which one is giving good information, and which one isn't. In FAA and Air Safety Foundations studies, pilots don't handle this type of failure particularly well. Under instrument conditions about 90% of instrument pilots would crash before sorting out the problem; very few are unable to ignore the soap holder-covered instruments.
In flight training, the "clouds" begin at 500 feet, and frequently end at Decision Altitude or Minimum Descent Altitude. In the real world, you may be in and out of clouds every 20 seconds during part of the flight. The result can be pretty disorienting, and can result in serious (and utterly wrong) feelings of ascending, descending or turning. Jimmy Stewart's feelings in "Vertigo" have nothing on the feelings this can induce. And if you're really lucky, you're going directly toward the sun while all this is happening.
In flight training, when the autopilot fails, it mostly just won't respond. In the real world, when an autopilot fails it can be a seriously malignant event. Sometimes it results in runaway trim inputs, causing full nose up or nose down trim. You get a real appreciation for how much adrenaline the body can manufacture, and how rapidly the heart can pump it when your trim causes a negative G pitch-over at 400 feet on a coupled ILS approach. You may also discover how fast your reflexes really are as you punch the autopilot disconnect button and pull the A/P circuit breaker while the pucker-factor meter is pegged.
In flight training, uncoordinated stalls and spin entries occur above 2500 AGL (I hope). In the real world, they can occur at any altitude if you're slow and uncoordinated.
In flight training, there is a limited number and type of failures since there is only a limited number of systems your instructor can muck with, and some of them are beyond what a sane instructor will do. In the real world, Murphy is still in charge; anything that can go wrong will, and at the most inconvenient time. The number and variety of possible failures is mind-boggling.
In flight training, you have any experienced pilot to help if the spaghetti hits the fan. In the real world, your experience with that pilot should give you the skills you need.
CHECKRIDE SUCCESS
by John Pyle, DPE
Recently, an applicant came to me believing he was ready to take the Instrument Airplane practical test. His experienced instructor had given him full training. He held an FAA Private Pilot Certificate. However, he was not ready.
The gentleman was from another country and his FAA Private Pilot Certificate was "restricted".
The FAA FSDOs used to issue "restricted" pilot certificates to pilots from ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) countries on sighting their overseas pilot license. There was no test, and very little paperwork. One "restriction" prevented them from using their certificates for commercial work. Restricted Commercial Certificates were issued before Aug 1997. The primary restriction was that all limitations and restrictions on their foreign license were to apply. For instance, the foreign medical, not an FAA medical certificate, needed to be current.
Since October 11, 2001 one of the changes has been that the issuing ICAO country's civil aviation department must verify the validity of the pilot's license. This "verification of authenticity" is handled by AFS 760 a division of the FAA.
Any Restricted Certificate and any rating or upgrade based on the Restricted Certificate is ultimately based on a foreign pilot's license. That new certificate, rating or upgrade requires a verification of authenticity to be sent directly to the local FSDO. The process is time consuming. Step one is to go to the website: http://registry.faa.gov/ to get the application. The application is filled in with supporting documents and must be mailed via USPS (no email).
The good news was that this foreign pilot held an unrestricted FAA Commercial Certificate with a Rotorcraft-Helicopter rating. He was able to do an add-on ASEL much more quickly than the verification of authenticity process.
Now, how could the experienced instructor have known about the requirement for verification of authenticity? Given the usual CFI resources, he could not have. It is not in Part 61.75. Nor is it in the PTS. The governing document is ORDER 8710.3D the Designated Pilot and Flight Engineer Examiner's Handbook.
This recently published document is available on the website of AFS-600. That is http://afs600.faa.gov/. I recommend that CFI's consider downloading the document. It is bulky and you have to do it in sections; but the information is valuable to CFI's, whether or not they aspire to one day giving checkrides themselves.
ORDER 8710.3D covers everything you ever wanted to know about how to be a DPE (Designated Pilot Examiner). It tells how to become a DPE. It tells how to renew the designation.
Most importantly to all CFI's it fills in the details of giving and processing a practical test ("checkride") that are not covered by the PTS. Chapter 21 covers the problem of restricted certificates and the verification of authenticity.
The Order is dated 12/16/2004, but it was not available to download until January. There are many changes and enhancements to the earlier (09/20/1996) version C.
Endorsements
Flight Proficiency Endorsement
It is much better, I believe, to log all ground given each day that it is given. I log ground instruction time in the same space as the flight time. Other instructors log the time in a separate section of the log book. Either is ok; but please log the time as you go. A tort lawyer who wants to get your worldly possessions after an accident would love to see an entry that says in effect "I did all the stuff a CFI is supposed to do" instead of credible individual lesson-by-lesson entries.
Aircraft Maintenance Records
Fly safely!
This morning, I had an applicant for the Instrument Airplane rating present without the endorsements specified by FAR 61.35(a)(6)(i,ii,iii). CFI's please do not do that to your students. It is not fair. You want your student to be sharp on the checkride. You owe it to him/her to give him/her all required training and endorsements. If they get 100% on the knowledge test, you do not have to worry about 61.35(a)(6)(iii).
As you know, all ground training must be logged in the student's log or flight record. That includes the ground training required to meet the required flight proficiency for the certificate or rating. The same applicant who did not have the required endorsements just mentioned did have an endorsement that all his ground training requirements had been met. The endorsement said that all this training took place on one day. Frankly that looks odd.
Applicants are still presenting for the checkride with maintenance records that they have not previewed prior to the test. CFI's it is not cheating for you to go over the maintenance records with your students. The worst case is when it turns out that the aircraft is in fact un-airworthy due to a missing inspection record. That happens rarely. It should never happen.
TO SQUAWK OR NOT TO SQUAWK, THAT IS THE QUESTION!
by Anne Elsbach.
There is a loose screw on the wing root fairing. Should I squawk it? The left brake goes all the way down to the floor and does nothing to help me stop. Does anyone need to know about it? Who? How? When?
We all have the same goal in flying: safety. There is no question here. The problem comes when there is something not quite right with the airplane. How do you decide whether you should write it up on the plane's squawk sheet, tell a mechanic, tell the front desk, tell the next pilot, or not bother to do anything at all? If you decide your squawk should be written up, what should you say? How much should you say?
These are all excellent questions. Although other operations might have different policies, WVFC wants to be sure that any squawk that might affect safety is written up on the aircraft squawk sheet. You are the pilot-in-command, therefore the decision about whether a given discrepancy makes the aircraft unairworthy is based on your judgment. When in doubt, write the squawk.
Should you tell a mechanic? If during pre-flight you have some doubt about whether a discrepancy is a safety issue or not, look for the nearest WVFC CFI or WVFC tech, if one is handy. If you are doing a pre-flight when you find a squawk that you feel renders the aircraft unairworthy, obviously you will not fly that aircraft unless a WVFC mechanic tells you that it is okay to fly. It is still your choice whether to fly or not at that point.
If you find a discrepancy that you feel renders the plane unairworthy, and you are just bringing the plane back, be sure to let the front desk know about your squawk. Everyone should review squawks before accepting an aircraft for flight, but not everyone does.
Okay, let's say that you have found a problem with the radio that you think the next pilot should know about. How should you squawk it? Here are some examples of squawks that have made the maintenance throw up their hands:
1) There is almost no information here. The only way a tech can work with this squawk is to ask next pilot to check it out and give more information. Sometimes the problem is a short between the headsets - the pilot hasn't really checked it out. A good squawk from the pilot might look like this:
Comm. #1 can't be heard with the volume up full, and comm. #1 and headset selected on the audio panel. Ground and tower report they cannot copy our transmissions on comm. #1. The display fades in and out.
2) This squawk has a bit more information. You know which comm. radio is a problem. You do not know how the pilot tried to check out the problem. A better squawk:
Comm. #2 transmits okay but with full volume and the squelch turned off, we could not copy any tower or ground transmissions. Comm. #1 worked fine.
3) Unfortunately this type of squawk is not uncommon. Pilots sometimes become frustrated if squawks are not fixed immediately and vent their anger on the techs via the squawk sheets. Not good. Often it takes a few tries - esp. with Nav-Com radios - to isolate the problem. Intermittent problems are the most difficult. Accurate, concise information from the pilot is the key. Remember, the tech you just blasted is the one you are counting on to keep your aircraft flying safely. It's a partnership: you provide good information; the tech provides you with a safe airplane.
4) Here again there is not enough information. The tech will have to ask the next pilot to fill in the details. Is the brake soft? Does it work at all? When did it fail? Is it only the pilot's right brake? Do both of the right seat brakes work properly? A more complete squawk might be:
The right brake on the pilot's side was a little soft on taxi-out. On taxi back it went almost to the floor. The right brake on the right seat side was less soft and could be used although it took hold further forward than the left brake.
A good rule of thumb, then, for when and how to squawk would be:
Do remember to write appropriate squawks: informative but concise. Use a separate line for each squawk. Think about the tech who has to decipher it: make it legible, be sure it will make sense to someone who has not seen the problem, don't let your frustration come through in your writing.
A while back there were some interesting squawks purportedly reported to Navy techs. The squawks and the techs' replies were great. My favorite was:
"There are old, dead bugs on the windshield."
Enjoy your flights; fly safely and be kind to the techs.
Let's look at each of the squawks above:
There is a second discrepancy sheet in each flight sheet book called "Aircraft Observations." This is the place to write up discrepancies you spot that are not airworthiness issues. Examples would be: there is a screw loose on the wing root fairing; the left main is a little low on air; the primer is hard to pull out; or, the compass correction card is hard to read.
The response was, "replaced with new, live bugs."
THINGS TO DO
GLASS COCKPIT DEMO
PACIFIC COAST DREAM MACHINES
NASA AMES AERO EXPO @ MOFFETT
GLASS COCKPIT INSTRUCTION AND AIRCRAFT DEMO
ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE MEETING
BAY TO BREAKERS
SKYDIVE!!!
We are organizing a pre fly-in safety seminar to be held in late April--date to be announced. At this seminar we will talk about all the elements related to the tandem skydive, as well as the ins-n-outs of flying into an active drop zone--we will even be pulling apart a parachute, (rig). Oh, and this seminar will also count towards the "Wings" program!
If you have any further questions, please contact CFI Logan Frasier at freeflyguy66@yahoo.com. Yeeeeeeeehaaaaaaw, and blue skies!
BRUNCH FLY-IN TO MATTHEW'S @ PASO ROBLES
MEMBER STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING
Saturday, April 23, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, Palo Alto conference room
Come see the G1000 glass panel install in the Bonanza cockpit. Representatives from Woodland aviation will be at the Palo Alto facility with a G1000 mobile demonstrator, to provide demos and familiarization with the G1000 cockpit. The panel will reflect the Bonanza set-up; however all who are interested in seeing a G1000 without the prop running may want to stop by.
Sunday, April 24, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, HAF
The club will have a booth at this year's Dream Machines airplane and auto show at Half Moon Bay. Contact Tammy Tran if you'd like to participate, ttran@wvfc.org.
Wednesday April 27 - Saturday, April 30, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm daily
Thanks to all the members who have volunteered to help with the Aero Expo! Thanks to them, and to the owner of Cessna 25525, the club will be bringing a 152 to this annual celebration of aviation and flight history held at Moffett Field and visited by more than 4,000 students, teachers and parents from all over Northern California and Nevada. One of the highlights of this event is having airplanes like ours that the kids can actually touch and sit in for a few minutes. If you'd like to add your name to our list of volunteers, please contact Patti Andrews at whatsup@wvfc.org asap.
Saturday, May 7 10:00 am, Palo Alto airport
WVFC will be sponsoring an introductory Glass Panel Class. WVFC will be on hand to teach usage of both the G1000 and Avedyne panels. After the seminar, we will have a G1000 equipped C182, DA40, and Cirrus SR22 to evaluate the set-up. Flight instructors will be on hand to schedule future instructional flights. This class will help accelerate the checkout process in both aircraft. For more information please email ttran@wvfc.org.
Tuesday, May 10, 6:00 pm, Palo Alto
Meet other club members and get involved in planning club trips and other social or training activities. Contact Patti Andrews at whatsup@wvfc.org if you'd like to help.
Sunday, May 15, San Francisco
Join your fellow club members at the 2005 Bay to Breakers on the 15th of May! We're making this one a club event for runners and non-runners alike, so grab a pair of comfortable sneakers and your loved ones and come join us for the best street party you have ever attended. You can run, walk, crawl- whatever- and you can also come in costume, and compete in the Southwest Airlines Costume Contest. For more information, and to register, check out: www.baytobreakers.com. To sign up, call or email Sandy at Hayward, either by email or phone (syzygy2002@mac.com, 510-781-0101). And don't forget to bring tortillas.
Saturday, May 21, Lodi
Ever been cruising along at 13,000' and wondered what it would be like to simply step from the aircraft and fly like a real bird, (except without wings, vertically, and a whole lot faster)? Well, here's your chance! On Saturday, May 21st, staff, members, and CFIs from WVFC are going to do just that. We will be flying into the Lodi Airport (1O3), and jumping from nearly perfect aircraft. The cost of a tandem skydive is $100, and a video of your jump (highly recommended) is just $35 more. The whole process can take as little as two hours from the time you land your airplane to the time you land under canopy. If you are not interested in skydiving, there are shade trees right next to the parachute landing area, just right for a picnic. Or for $15, you can ride along in the airplane as an observer, and watch your loved ones as they exit the plane--pretty cool!
Sunday, May 22
Matthew's at the Airport, www.matthewsattheairport.com, is a highly rated restaurant at Paso Robles Airport. Join us for the easy 80 minute flight to breakfast. http://www.airnav.com/airport/KPRB Meet at base Airports @ 9:00 am for final weather check. Contact Terry Slocum, terry_slocum@mindspring.com.
Tuesday, May 24, 6:00 pm, Palo Alto
Have a question, suggestion, compliment or complaint? Bring it up at the club's bi-monthly Member Steering Committee meeting. Contact Patti Andrews at whatsup@wvfc.org if you'd like to put an item on the agenda.
SAFETY SEMINARS
Transition to Twin Engine Aircraft
It's Raining Humans! Flight Into, Around, and Jumping From an Active Drop Zone
Viva Las Vegas - Planning Your Trip
Wednesday, April 13, 7:00 pm, Palo Alto
Presenter: Alireza Ashayer, CFII, MEI
Find out how to transition to twins, the benefit of flying twins and what it takes to be a competent twin engine pilot. Ali Ashayer is a FAA Gold Seal Instructor with over 3,000 hours instruction given and extensive part 135 charter experienced.
Wednesday, April 20, 7:00 pm, San Carlos
Presenter: Logan Fraiser, CFI
Yes, the little parachute symbol co-located with an airport on the sectional chart does actually mean something - skydiving operations are in the vicinity of the airport! We will be discussing the ins-n'-outs of flying into and around an active DZ (drop zone). We will also be examining the elements related to skydiving, and the working components of a parachute itself. This seminar is recommended for anyone making regular cross country excursions, who flies aerobatics, or who's ever entertained the idea of skydiving - because there is of course more than one way to fly! CFI, Logan Fraiser will be making the presentation. He is an active flight instructor at the West Valley Flying Club, an avid skydiver with greater than 500 jumps and has experience flying skydiving operations over two USPA drop zones.
Wednesday, April 27, 7:00 pm, Hayward
Presenter: Peter Long, CFII, MEI
Peter Long and the staff and members of West Valley Flying Club invite all area pilots to attend this seminar as Peter describes his experiences flying to and from Las Vegas. Find out what it takes to plan and execute this flying adventure, including routing, stopovers, weather, and logistics. Peter Long has been flying in the Bay Area for 10 years and is a flight instructor with West Valley Flying Club.
GROUND SCHOOLS
SQL Private Pilot Ground School meets Tuesdays 6:30-9:00 pm with instructors Justin Warren and Peter Long. The cost is a $200 one-time fee, after which you may re-attend as often as you like. For information, contact Justin Warren at justinwarren@sbcglobal.net or Peter Long at plong@outback-aviation.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. Contact Kyp at lkypta@earthlink.net.
HWD Private Pilot Ground School meets Tuesday nights from 6:30-9:30 pm. Cost is $200 per student. Contact instructors Sandy Wiedemann at syzygy2002@mac.com, or Eric Jewell at eric@flywitheric.com.
PAO Instrument Ground School meets Tuesday nights 6:30 to 9:00. Cost is a one time fee of $200. Please email instructor Linda Monahan at lindajmonahan@hotmail.com, or Ali Ashayer at aashayer@aol.com.
Initial CFI & Commercial Pilot Airplane Course
Week one covers Principles of Flight, Navigation, Weather Theory, Practical Weather, FAR 61, 91, AIM, Systems, Aeronautical Decision Making, Cockpit Resourse Management and more. Week two covers The Fundamentals of Instructing - Theory and Practice, a systematic way to teach flying (a method to teach a student from 0 to Private Pilot), developing lesson plans, and presenting material in a class room setting as well as a one to one setting.
The course was designed by Mike Shiflett, DPE, and has been run for over nine years with a first time pass rate of about 85% for initial CFI. About 60% of the course is multi media. At the end of the course you will have covered all required aeronautical knowledge areas for both Commercial and Flight Instructor and may begin your flight training!
The course includes all books, handouts, reprints, etc. This is NOT a written prep course for the knowledge test. It IS a course for the practical aspects of flying. Call Mike Shiflett at 408-666-3133 for more information, or you can log on to www.checkrides.com and check out the complete syllabus under Ground Schools.
Begins May 23, running two weeks, Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, PAO
This course is in two sections: The first week is attended by both Initial CFI Students and Commercial Pilot Students. The second week is attended by Initial CFI Students ONLY. This course prepares you with the core knowledge for teaching people how to fly, and for the commercial pilots, it covers all aeronautical knowledge areas for certification.
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Reproduction in whole or in part in any form without the express written permission
of an officer of the club is strictly prohibited.