First:
San Carlos airport will be shutting down the runway 2 different weeks over the next few months. The first shut down is October 9th at 9PM – October 13th at 9AM. Depending on parking, aircraft will be moved from SQL to either PAO or HWD. More notifications will be forthcoming including a list of planes and where they will be located. Additionally the Runway will be shut doen over several nights, not affecting day flights in order to do less invasive work. Please check all NOTAMS prior to making your night flying plans. The reasons behind the work are, 1. Runway overruns 2. New pavement, 3. New Paint.

Second:
During the closure we will be moving the office from 620 Airport Bvld. to 795 Skyway. 795 Skyway is located on the west side of the airport. To give a geographical perspective, as you walk out the back door of the new location, you are only a few tie-downs away from the control tower and the runway viewing area. We were originally scheduled to move in the beginning of June however the exiting tenants were unwilling to exit. As a consequence we have been delayed until this point. The silver lining in all of this is that we will be able to minimize service interruption by moving the office while the airport is shut down. Essentially we will be open at SQL in our existing location until end of business Monday then open Friday at 9AM at the new location. During the airport closure the office will remain open for ground schools, and previously scheduled ground time with your instructor.

All of the aircraft will be relocated onto the west side of the field as well. Most of the parking locations are within a few rows of the back door of our new office. Those planes that were moved during the closure will be returned to the west side as the airport re-opens. Of course as always if you would like to volunteer to help, please let myself or Shannon know, as many hands will make the lifting, cleaning, and organizing easy.

In KPAO
The airport tie-down and future of the airport continues to be an ongoing issue. I would like to keep everyone attentive to the bbs calendar and the various meetings that will be coming up. Attendance is always an important issue, and we collectively must let all of our representatives know just how important the airport is to us and how its future depends on their ability to run it in a responsible fashion.

Currently the Santa Clara County Airport Director Michael Murtder has upped the anti by asking for an 8.3% increase in tie-downs every year for the next 11 years. This increase would be exclusive to KPAO, and only on County tie-downs. This would double raise the fees aprox. 150% in this period of time. Needless to say this is a very unbalanced approach to managing the 3 airport system. We are continuing to push for more balanced approach that will both benefit the finances of KPAO, as well keep the airport competitive within the airport community. Please look to the bbs. calendar, and member home page for updates on meetings to attend.

Please come out to the October 14th LSA event at KPAO. I think LSA are eventually going to make a significant impact in GA, so this seminar will provide an opportunity to experience more of what these planes are about.

Finally, I would like to let everyone know now that Luanne our membership coordinator sadly left WVFC to pursue a different career opportunity. We, of course, wish her well. Although Luanne’s shoes will be tough to fill, we have found and we have the right person for just such a task. Michelle Klippel has taken over the reins of membership coordinator and assistant in accounting. Michelle comes to us from Susanville Ca, is a native of the Bay area, and as you may have guessed with the last name of Klippel is the sister of Melissa Kilppel a CFI with WVFC. Her contact information will be michelle@wvfc.org, and is taking over the ext. of 302. Her role in WVFC will be to handle membership needs, specifically with questions on member statements, records, activation and changes in membership status, and owner statement processing.

Let’s continue our discussion started last month on aeronautical decision making. We have covered the first two “sets of circumstances” that a pilot needs to examine and evaluate thoroughly prior to taking to the air: the airplane and the pilot. Today, let’s concentrate on another important set: the environment and in particular, the weather.

Being aware of the environment you are operating in -and I stress “operating in” because it is not limited to the flying part of the operation but encompasses ground operations as well- is also known as situation awareness. This is a big part of the aeronautical decision making process as you will need to review and evaluate all aspects of the planned flight. The list -far from being exhaustive- comprises weather, air traffic control, navaids, terrain, takeoff and landing areas, surrounding obstacles, potential distractions (passengers).

Weather can change drastically over time and distance even the Bay Area is surrounded by micro climates and a flight from Palo Alto to Santa Rosa or Half Moon Bay can take you through different types of weather depending on the time of the year. A great percentage of fatal accidents are caused by flights from VFR into IFR or reduced visibility conditions. The farther you go, the more thorough your weather information gathering will need to be and the more frequent you will need to do it, meaning that even during flight, it will be wise to keep checking with Flight Watch for potential adverse changes. Weather is fairly complicated to forecast in some areas and we have all experienced unexpected conditions in flight. Sometimes, they are favorable like a tailwind, better visibility or smooth conditions in an area where a Sigmet for turbulence was issued for. But weather can turn unexpectedly sour.

How about unforecast headwinds that reduce your planned groundspeed by 50% while flying in an area without an airport where you can land to refuel? How about encountering embedded thunderstorms –which can form within minutes- during an instrument flight in IMC? You might also fly closer to the freezing level and be surprised by icing conditions. In especially hard rain conditions when moisture enters the pitot head as well as the static port, you are likely to get instruments malfunction the engine will struggle to produce the maximum power it is rated for. Add to this flying in really high altitudes because you need to clear mountains and you are close to the service ceiling of the airplane. You can avoid these mishaps by planning thoroughly mostly if you have any reason to think that the weather might change along the route: get a really extensive briefing from the flight service station, get familiar with and analyze the weather reports that you can download from all sorts of online resources, talk with pilots who have experience flying in an area you have never been to and who will have insights on how the weather changes there, continue checking during flight with either Flight Watch or Flight Service Station.

You can even ask ATC: ARTCC often gets first hand pilot reports, as pilots will ask for diversions (heading- and altitude-wise) when the weather deteriorates. Obviously, if any doubt arises prior to starting your flight, the best decision is to stay on the ground unless you have a really rock-solid plan B. If you have little to no experience flying in the conditions you might encounter, you might be better off going to the movies instead. For example, it is one thing to know what a thunderstorm is, what effect it can have on your airplane and all, but it is another to have had the experience of flying through or close to one of them. While in flight, do not wait for the conditions to deteriorate beyond your abilities to decide to turn back if you can. Always have a way out: in IMC, always know where you can find VFR in VFR, if the winds start to pick up and your ground speed plummets, use your plan B, land somewhere along the route and refuel even if you know you will be late at your destination.

The FAA has at least two good documents that I recommend you download and read on the topic. First the “Aeronautical Decision Making” AC#60-22, and a much more recent publication called “General Aviation Pilot’s Guide to Preflight Weather Planning, Weather Self-Briefings, and Weather Decision Making”.

Take a good look at the “personal minimums” section of this publication starting page 27, see where you would fit and what your own personal minimums actually are. The FAA’s minimums are often not very restrictive and most of us will have more stringent limitations on what we allow ourselves to do. What are yours?

Until next month, fly safe and remember that this is the beginning of the fall, the weather is changing and becoming somewhat more unpredictable. Keep checking the weather!

Well, the summer has rapidly passed us by, and the winter buzz is upon us. We still have lots of events coming up in the fall and winter months, all of which we are in the process of planning. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, December 9th. This year’s holiday party is going to be “different.” More clues on that to follow!

Saturday, October 14th, there is an LSA seminar here put on by Light Sport Aircraft West. They are bringing 4 of the best of the class and will include the Flight Design CT Cruiser, the Tecnam Bravo, the Evektor Sport Star, and the Tecnam Sierra. Two are low wing, and two are high wing. The following is the schedule for that event:

• STATIC display will begin at 11:00 am
• BBQ will begin at 11:30 am and will run until 3:00 pm.
• CFI meeting from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. They will have the floor the first 20 minutes.
• SEMINAR to public will be from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm in Larry Shapiro’s hangar.

Recently, I did a Private ASEL checkride with a foreign gentleman. The flight school was not WVFC. The ground portion did not go well. The applicant had serious deficiencies in explaining Airworthiness, U.S. Airspace, and Airplane Performance. I had to tell him early in the ground session that his performance was unsatisfactory.

He and I elected to proceed with the flight portion, although the ground portion had taken so long that we would not have time to complete the flight. The flight tasks we did complete were performed excellently. I always hate it when an applicant flies the maneuvers better than I can. This was one of those guys. I get this a lot.

The applicant’s CFI was not available either before or after the test. However, the Chief CFI was available. He and I discussed the deficiencies. He assured me that he would personally address those tasks.

On the re-test, I could see that the Chief had kept his word. The applicant was able to answer my questions without hesitation. We then proceeded to fly the remaining tasks, which he demonstrated with the same high level of skill as on the original test.

Oh, by the way, the CFI was still unavailable. Although he had flown that day, he decided to go home before the end of the test.

Paperwork
The applicant’s applications, both for the original and the re-test, were a mess. The CFI had elected to use paper instead of IACRA. (IACRA is the online application system that traps some errors, reduces paperwork, and for which I reduce the examination fee by $50.) He had put the name of the DPE in the space for the AME. Where he noticed errors, he had used white-out instead of lining through the error, writing, and initialing the correction.

When a CFI allows the name of the pilot examiner to go where the medical examiner should go, it is a sign that either he is just beginning his career in flight instruction or that he signed the form without even reading it.

I suspect that he did not care. Is he a time-builder who is concerned only with the hours he logs? Does it matter whether his students pass their checkride or are sufficiently knowledgeable to be safe? The fact that his student flew well but did poorly on the ground indicates that flight time may have been this CFI’s major goal. Now the CFI has established a reputation that will be difficult for me to ignore on future tests.

CFI Attendance at the Test
In this case, the CFI should have been available prior to the test, because he could not have been sure that the paperwork was correct. He should have attended the de-brief as well to learn what training areas were missed or not adequately covered.

Does a CFI have to hang around when his student is being tested? Not necessarily. It is very easy to make a paperwork error. So it is good if the CFI can be contacted in the event he/she needs to fix an error in the application or the log book endorsements. If the application is IACRA, the error can usually be fixed by the applicant re-applying online and having the CFI sign the new e-form. The CFI does not have to be physically present to do this.

How about the de-brief? Does the CFI have to sit in? From my point of view, that is best although often not practical given other demands. In that case, it is always a good idea for the CFI to call to ask about the result. This helps his/her future instruction and makes the DPE feel warmer and fuzzier.

Should the CFI monitor the whole test? The fact is that this is allowed if both the applicant and DPE agree. The DPE handbook allows the CFI to sit in on ground and flight portions. When a CFI wishes to monitor the test, I try to ask the applicant in private whether he/she really is OK with it. Sometimes the applicant admits that he/she really would prefer that the CFI not be present. Then I tell the CFI that I need to do the test in private.

Is it a good idea for the instructor to sit in on the entire test? The upside is that he/she may learn a bunch that can help in future instruction. The downside is the increased pressure the applicant may feel. He/she does not want to let the instructor down.

CFI’s, if you do sit in on a test, keep your poker face. And no hand signals, please

I’ve been a gymnastics fan for decades, and some of the moves being performed routinely in international competition are bordering on unbelievable. I remember when Kurt Thomas first performed what is now called the Thomas Flairs on the horse and P-bars. Simple by today’s standards, but not only did he make them look elegant, he made them look easy. Do you remember watching Mitsuo Tsukahara? If not, how about Nadia Comaneci, Olga Korbut, Mary Lou Retton, or Ludmilla Tourischeva (if ever there was a gymnast capable of making the impossible look like a walk in the park!).

But after all, that’s what a gymnast is supposed to do. An acrobat at the circus, on the other hand, has a completely different objective – to make the routine seem amazingly difficult and, therefore, himself (or herself) look amazingly skillful and talented.

Having done a bit of gymnastics (mostly before the folks mentioned above were competing), I can tell you from personal experience that even the relatively easy moves are, in fact, deceptively simple ways of causing personal injury and embarrassment.

So, what does all this have to do with flying? There is a large group of professional flight instructors at West Valley, all of whom try really hard to make flying look easy. We try to make a student’s first flight easy so there is a sense of accomplishment and a feeling that, “I can actually do this!” We try to fly consistently near perfection to give students something to aspire to. We try to make it look easy.

But, the thing is, it’s NOT easy! Talk to any instructor in the club, and uniformly (unless you’ve caught the instructor in “Telling a Flying Story mode”) you’ll find that he or she has dozens of stories that include busting or nearly busting tolerances on maneuvers, sweating like a pig in a steam bath, gripping the yoke or stick hard enough to extrude the plastic and leave fingerprints embedded in the yoke, or getting out of the plane and being unable to walk because of thigh muscles that were locked from pressing both pedals at once and harder than our mechanics want to hear about.

Sometimes, it’s strictly an instructional situation, but often enough it’s a day-to-day situation that any of us could find ourselves in.

Most of us have been in wind shear and turbulence unexpectedly on short final. We’ve gotten vertigo in clouds. We’ve fixated on an instrument and suddenly noticed another one that has gone totally wacko and wondered how that happened (Fry’s First Law of Flight: “Whatever you’re not watching turns to crud”). We’ve watched the VSI go seriously negative (and stay there) while flying at full power and best rate-of-climb airspeed. We’ve put the gear handle down and gotten nothing. Pulled the flap handle up on a go-around only to see the flaps stay down and the climb rate stay in single digits. Even with the best of intentions and planning, we’ve occasionally found ourselves in situations when we’ve wondered, “What the heck am I doing up here?”. And I could go on. As we all know, you’re better off being on the ground wishing you were in the air than being in the air wishing you were on the ground, but most of us have been in both places.

Think back on the times you’ve gotten behind the airplane. Many, I hope most, were in training while the instructor was aboard. What happened? You kept doing it over and over until you were ahead of the plane. Same thing with adrenalin inducing maneuvers: you practiced until they were easy and (mostly) stress-free.

The point I’m trying to make is that as you get farther from what you’ve practiced, the more likely you will be in a pucker-factor inducing, adrenalin pumping, gut cinching situation. So how do we keep that from happening?

A common technique among glider pilots is never to get more than gliding distance from the gliderport. The power pilot equivalent is to stay within 100 NM of home and just do day, severe-clear VFR to get the fabled $100 hamburger. It’s a great way to increase your comfort level and build confidence, but it may not expand your skills as rapidly as you may like.

Another technique is to make sure your local CFI knows what your goals are and what you’re planning to do soon. For example, if you plan to fly to the East Coast, your CFI will make sure you have a Mountain Checkout and may want to spend some time talking about weather over the high desert, weather and airspace East of the Mississippi, and the effects of fatigue on the pilot. And perhaps a discussion about ADM involving mountains, single engine airplanes, oxygen systems and usage, night, and weather would be in order.

If you’ve never stretched your aeronautical legs to that extent, without specific training, you may find that there are both good and bad ways to learn things. It’s always best to make your mistakes with an instructor on board or, failing that, make small ones in a familiar environment.

Yet another technique is to set up a systematic program of training in which you and your instructor identify specific skills you want or that your plans will require. Then you can establish a schedule to accomplish that training.

Things that you may be considering that require additional skills and knowledge include:

• Upgrading to faster, larger, or more complex aircraft
• Long cross countries
• Additional aeronautical ratings
• Mountain checkouts
• Acro
• Tailwheel aircraft

Please update yourself on the latest club activities by going to the membership calendar located at http://www.wvfc.org/b/calendar.php

Saturday, October 14th, there is an LSA seminar here put on by Light Sport Aircraft West. They are bringing 4 of the best of the class and will include the Flight Design CT Cruiser, the Tecnam Bravo, the Evektor Sport Star, and the Tecnam Sierra. Two are low wing, and two are high wing. The following is the schedule for that event:

On Saturday, November 18th, we will be celebrating the 1st anniversary of E16! Please join us from 11am-3pm for a barbecue, band, and lots of beautiful new aircraft! More details to follow.

Other Thoughts:
If you look on the members’ page you will notice a new link on the bottom left hand side entitled WVFC airspace. This is new software WVFC is working with to provide our members a “My Space” type of feel for aviation related topics. To the same extent as “My Space”, a user can create a profile, share interests, create groups, and share other topics and events. This page is set up exclusively for WVFC, and your data will not be shared with any outside service or retailer. So take a peak and use the service. Of course, the bbs site will remain active and a vital resource for WVFC members. This site is currently being beta tested, and we would appreciate your feedback. If it looks like it will be unproductive for the club, or unused then we will remove its from WVFC.

SQL Private Pilot Ground School meets Tuesdays 6:30-9:00 pm. The cost is a $250 one-time fee, after which you may re-attend as often as you like. For information contact the instructor, Dan Dyer, at dan@dkdyer.com or check out www.dkdyer.com/ground.html.

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. The next session begins June 4 however, you may begin the course at any time. Contact Kyp at lkypta@earthlink.net.

HWD Private Pilot Ground School meets Tuesday nights from 6:30-9:30 pm. The cost is $200 per student. Contact instructor Chris Tavenner tractorking@hotmail.com.

South County Private Pilot Ground School. By special arrangement, the South County Private Pilot ground school will meet Wednesdays at 6:00 pm, starting May 17, with instructor Charles Jackson, a retired airline captain and aviation instructor at the local community college. Tuition is $150. Call Charles for more information at (408) 842-2177.

PAO Instrument Ground School meets Tuesday evenings from 6:30 – 9:00 with instructors Ali Ashayer and Lindsay Dillon. The cost is $200. Contact Ali Ashayer at aashayer@aol.com or Lindsay Dillon at linsgrins@hotmail.com for more information.