As one of your elected WVFC member representatives and as the Treasurer of the West Valley Flying Club, I wanted to personally advise you of a recent change adopted by the Board of Directors.

You should know that the club has performed very well in a challenging period of rising costs. For the past 6 years, we have held membership dues and our performing budget relatively constant while delivering an increasingly high end service to our membership. For example, this past fiscal year, the actual revenues/expenses were held to within 1% of the budget. This is a unique achievement by our management and deserves recognition for a phenomenal job well done!

As you may also know, the West Valley Flying Club is a not-for-profit operation. This means that our revenue is always about equal to the expenses we incur in the delivery of our products and services. This year, in forecasting the new budget, we predict insufficient funds to hold the revenue=cost equation requirement without additional funds.

Accordingly, the Board has chosen to raise the membership monthly dues for regular members only by $5/month. The Safety incentive rebate will stay at $10/mo. The modest (10%) increase represents the first dues increase in more than 6 years, all in a period of rapidly inflating costs (over the period, more than 25%). It is our objective to again hold the dues constant for as long as the financial reality will allow.

Please be assured, our goal continues to provide our members a wide variety of aircraft that are readily available, operate well and that meet your expectations in terms of services for a variety of individual missions.

If you might have questions about our decision to raise dues, I invite you to inquire directly with me (or any other board member). I will be happy to address any questions that you might raise and to offer further insight to the rationale for deciding on this particular course of action.

Regards,

Gary Waldeck, Treasurer West Valley Flying Club

April begins withsome business discussion about club issues and finances.

For those who do not know, the club's fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31. In looking at the budget for the fiscal year, as stated in Gary's announcement, it was decided with unanimous consent of the board that the membership dues for regular membership will go from $50/mo to $55/mo. No other membership fees or operational fee changes will take place. This was a tough decision and one the board put a lot of thought into. Our budget is tight and the net goal really small. At the end of the day our financial goal is to run this organization and efficiently as possible, while maintaining an appropriate level of cash reserves, typically called a rainy day fund. My goal over the years I have managed the club has been to try and keep the costs down as much as possible. Over the last 5 years most of our growth in club revenue has come from growth in membership and flying hours and not in fees. Inevitably, costs have started to catch up with us, and this is the most responsible way to maintain a positive balance sheet.

There are no changes to associate, family, or associate family dues. If you pre-paid your dues for the year, you are good to go for the rest of the year.

There has also been a lot of discussion around the fuel surcharge. As everybody is aware, the cost of fuel (automotive as well as aviation) is at historic highs. This has created a very high surcharge delta which has led to a lot of discussion on the BBS within the membership. To keep people up to speed this is where we are currently at:
The Board met in its monthly executive session on Thursday March, 20th 2008. We discussed the historical perspectives of the surcharge, where it is at currently and possible future changes. In terms of operational changes:

1. Due to the ever increasing price of avgas I will work with the owners to make an adjustment on the base rate. Typically, this is done every couple of years. Currently it is set at $3.50/gallon, and it seems obvious the future price of fuel will never reach that level. Look for an adjustment to the base rate in late spring.
2. In terms of setting up buckets v. one rate the current methodology was decided upon for ease of use and explanation. Currently we use $1.00 increase for every .10 a gallon. This is of course based on a 10 gallon an hour burn rate and not every aircraft burns 10 gallons an hour. In our meeting we tabled making a change in this method until we could have a public discussion in the April board meeting. Personally I like the ease of use of the current method, and I also understand the call that it should be more representative of the actual aircraft use rate. No changes in calculation methodology will be made until after this discussion.
3. WVFC uses wet rates as a matter of operational ease and aircraft longevity. No changes from a wet rate schema will be made.
4. The fuel surcharge allows us to be more dynamic and reflective of actual operational costs. There will be no movement from using a fuel surcharge. I appreciate constructive conversations in regards to club policy. Hopefully this helps shed some light on the subject. As we make updates I will inform the membership through all available sources.

Speaking of the April Board meeting, the next quarterly public meeting of the Board of Directors is scheduled for Thursday, April 17, at 7:00 PM. All members are welcome to attend, watch your elected board at work, and ask questions. We are continuing our practice of rotating the meeting through the various club sites. This meeting will be in the Hayward office. A few of the board members are flying over, and what a great excuse to jump in a plane and get your currency going on night landings.

We are looking forward to the continuing improving weather and getting people back up and in the air. Please be sure to look up the aircraft pages for updated rates, promotions and currency deals. Please also check out the club calendar, there are quite a few new events that have been posted. Remember to hook up with your favorite CFI for checking out in new aircraft and staying current.

Thanks as always and have some fun and go out and fly !!!

The Spring brings beautiful flowers, green fields and hills and an ever changing and dynamic weather pattern which can lead to very interesting operational considerations. The dynamics in the weather calls for us as pilots to be aware of the different requirements of the aircraft for the ever changing weather conditions. Flying almost all of the club aircraft I have been astonished that in the morning I will be trying to get an aircraft started in the very brisk temperatures of 40 –50 degrees, and then later in the day note that the outside temps have increased 30 degree.

For starting, idling, cruising, approach aircraft are designed to operate optimally in standard weather conditions. Variation in the outside conditions to anything other than standard wx, the pilot will need to adjust the engine operation, starting procedure, taxiing procedure., etc. for the conditions that exist at that time. This could mean more or less prime, leaning or enriching the mixture, extending or shortening the engine warm-up time. Always try to be aware of what the engine and aircraft are telling you.

Don’t be a “CRAKENSTEIN”. A “Crakenstein is a term often referred to by MX persons for those members who will go out and when starting an aircraft will just crank on a starter motor for what seems like forever, hoping for a miracle start, while the engine is clearly not starting. Aircraft will generally start on 2-3 blades, however this is only after they are appropriately primed. As discussed before aircraft starting procedures will differ depending on outside air temperature and whether or not the aircraft has been run prior to your usage. The POH will generally give very good instructions on exactly how to start an aircraft. Again, I generally have to start every aircraft on the flight line, please do not hesitate to drop us a note if you have had problems or would like some tips. Aircraft starters are light duty and cannot withstand the abuse often afforded them by “CRAKENSTIENS”.

Be Green, please note that there really is no advantage to running an aircraft with all of the lights on, in the middle of the day while on the ground. We continue to see aircraft idling in the tie-down, on the taxi-way with all of the lights on. Think about it in these terms Normal lights run about 40 hours and then there done, they are not recyclable and get thrown away. If we eat up there time when they are not needed we are just adding to our local waste. From a cost perspective light replacements run about $100 - $250 pre light, labor and parts. These costs add to the cost of the aircraft.

For whichever reason connects, please conserve the systems in the aircraft. Enjoy the beautiful weather, lets be safe, and use the aircraft wisely. Your friends in maintenance.

Hello Members,

Friday, April 4, we kicked off Hawaiian Fridays in San Carlos. Stop by for a burger and a lei after your flight we'll light the barbecue around 4:00. Coming up as well in San Carlos is Hiller Vertical Challenge in June - more on that a little later. However, also happening in June will be a trip to Colorado , June 11 - 15 5 days of flying, 6 States, with limited space so sign up now! Trip includes a full mountain checkout & high performance checkout in Cessna 182s, with 2 students and 1 CFI to each aircraft. Itinerary includes: Cheyenne, Wyoming Glenwood Springs, Colorado Moab, Utah and Las Vegas, through Bakersfield and back to West Valley. Approximately $3500. We will have a meeting with all the details on April 21 for all interested parties at 6:30pm in the Palo Alto classroom.

The HWD Air rally is right around the corner, with the deadline coming up sign up now to save $50 before March 31 and get ahead of the curve with tips from Gary Waldeck, not only a past winner of the HWD Air Race but also a board member for West Valley, who has so kindly offered to explain the premise and guidelines for participating in this unique competition. The seminar with said tips will be held in Palo Alto's classroom Saturday, April 12 from 10am-12pm . After that you can head right over to Moffett Field for Yuri's Night, where they will be celebrating space, science, art, music, and technology until 2:00 am in honor the anniversary of the launch of the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, and the launch of the first Space Shuttle exactly twenty years later. There will be music all night and some great speakers get your tickets now if you plan on attending.

This month West Valley will be heading to Half Moon Bay for Dream Machines on the 27th anyone able is encouraged to attend and any looking to move some airplanes and work security is invited to do so and party afterward with the Half Moon Bay Pilots Association who would much appreciate your volunteerism. Contact me if you are interested in helping out.

Still more in June - Catalina!! June 26 to 29. Sign up now to receive information from the pre-pre-fly-in seminar or to stay updated, make sure to choose an aircraft and if you have any questions, Logan would love to answer them: freeflyguy66@yahoo.com. A little closer on the horizon, May 10 will be the day for spins. Andy Geosits has promised to show West Valley members everything they want to know about spins, with a seminar in the Palo Alto classroom from 10am-12pm and demonstrations available thereafter in the 8KCAB, Pitts and Extra. See the calendar for more details.

Safety seminars are all set waiting to be that angel on your shoulder Seabird protection on the 9th in Palo Alto protects more than the birds if the birds are safe, that means so is your plane and by extension your wallet, most importantly so are you! An expert on local bird colonies will be sharing her knowledge on the subject. Following that will be Communication/Radios with Jason Miller in SQL and our very own GM, presents the Aviator's Model Code of Conduct in E16. Dan continues to come through for the club with fun weekend fly-ins anyone can attend this month will be Castle airport on April 12 for food, friends and bowling, more info from Dan Dan@DanDyerCFI.com.

Last but not least is the Wings of History Museum on the field in South County. There will be an open house May 10 with Young Eagles flights, Pancakes, Tri-tip, Hot air balloons and plenty more where that came from, check it out if you get a chance. For more details on anything check out the calendar email your questions anytime. Thanks for reading! Christine@wvfc.org.

APRIL 4/16 - Communication/Radios Safety Seminar SQL
4/17 - Open Board Meeting
4/19 - EAA Day in the Sky
4/21 - Colorado Trip Details @6:30 PAO
4/23 - AMCC Safety Seminar E16
4/27 - Dream Machines (HAF)

MAY 5/10 - E16 Wings of History Museum: Open House
5/11 - Spin Seminar/Demonstration
5/15 -17 - HWD Air Rally
5/17- 99's Flight Companion Seminar

Upcoming Safety Seminars

04/16 Radio Communications Review KSQL
04/23 AMCC a great way to Fly E16

Check the Calendar for more Events and Details.

Reciprocating engines use petroleum oil to lubricate surfaces. A running engine's critical surfaces are kept apart by a very thin film of oil. A piston pushes on a rod which pushes on a crankshaft bearing surface (called a journal). This is where reciprocating movement is changed into rotational movement. The downward force by the fuel burn on the top of the piston is tremendous. It's 0.5-2 thousands of an inch of oil that keep metal-to-metal contact from occurring at the bearing surface when these forces occur. Also, protection of this surface under high load conditions requires that the oil is warm (usually around 180 degrees F.). Putting a high load on a cold engine immediately after starting is destructive because oil that was on the surface when the engine last ran has drained off, it is hard for the pump to move viscous cold oil to the bearing surface and when the oil flow reaches the surface its lubricating properties are poor until it w

On cold days with cold engines, prime the engine early, right after checking fuel quality. An engine will not start unless vaporized fuel is available to the cylinders. An engine will not start well or at all on atomized or liquid fuel. Trying to start an engine without vaporized fuel and flooding are the common causes of pilots grinding on the starter motor to get the engine to start. Grinding a starter motor for extended periods can deep cycle the battery. On a cold day with a cold engine, an early prime allows time for fuel vaporization. By doing this you will usually find that your engine starts up easily with very little load on the battery. Be sure to skip the priming item in your check list if you do an early prime. If you would rather to do it according to an approved check list, then prime, but wait a minute or so (with the master switch off!) before activating the starter motor. Large, high horsepower engines start noticeably easier when primed in this fashion. Bonus question: why wait until after

Airplane batteries are not made for deep cycling. This means that if you severely draw an airplane battery down a few times, it's ready for the trash heap because it will never again hold a charge. (Cruising sailboats have deep-cycle batteries because they are drawn on for many hours between engine operation when the battery is recharged. Automotive batteries will fail after about 30 deep cycles whereas they will last for thousands of cycles if only used for starting, a 2-5% discharge. Marine batteries are designed to handle 80% discharges over and over.). If you find this topic electrifying, see http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm

If you have cowl flaps and it is a cold day, don't open the cowl flaps during start, taxi and run up. Most manufacturers state something to the effect: open cowl flaps as required. Watch your temperatures. Cowl flaps are required with high cylinder head and oil temperatures, not likely for a first start of the day and several minutes after on a 40 F. morning. With the cowl flaps closed, your engine oil will heat faster. Run ups should be done with the oil temperature needle in the green and this can take time with a cold start on a big engine especially on a cold day. When you cycle the prop you are making sure the governor and prop are functioning and at the same time applying warm oil to the prop hub cylinder. That oil isn't going to be very warm if you do the prop cycle with cold engine oil. (I won't get into the religion of prop cycling during run up) Be kind to your engine and it will be kind to you (and your wallet).

There are two kinds of pilots: Those who have landed gear up and those who are going to.

First, no I didn't. Second, I'd like to thank Cory Lovell for the topic suggestion.

About a month ago, there were two gear-up landings in the Bay Area in the same week. Neither was the result of pilot error leaving the gear up, but the result of not being able to get all three gear down when the handle was placed down. So, let's talk about some of the considerations in a gear emergency.

Let me begin the discussion by saying that I have no intention of second-guessing the two pilots who landed gear-up last month. It's hard to argue with the success of walking away from a landing like that, nor would I want to.

With that as a starting point, let's say that you are coming back to your home base and put the gear handle down, but you only get two lights (or none in the case of some Cessnas)? Let's go back to basics. What could cause this? What can you do about it? How much time do you have to do it in?

Taking the questions out of order, it's important to understand that in almost all cases, a gear problem isn't the same level of emergency as an engine failure or a fire. The difference is that you have loads of time to sort it out (assuming you have been doing sensible things with your fuel). You can stay aloft and sort out the problem for at least half an hour, and most of us land with more fuel than that - sometimes with up to a couple of hours' worth.But what do you do with the extra time? If you're lucky you have a working autopilot, or another pilot on board, but in any case, the first thing is to initiate a go-around, call the tower, approach, or whomever, and say that you have a problem with your gear and need to sort it out before landing. Then climb to a safe altitude where you can start sorting out the problem.

What could cause the light not to come on? Perhaps the gear isn't down, maybe the micro-switch is broken, maybe the light is burned out, maybe the Day/Night switch is on night, or the light is dimmed. Most of the things that cause the light not to appear aren't really problems, but we need to determine exactly what we have.

The Day/Night switch or light dimming is the first and easiest of the things to check. Most of us have seen this one, sometimes self-induced, sometimes not. Assuming that wasn't the problem, we move on.In some planes, you can switch the lights and check the bulbs - if that's how your plane is set up, do it. If not, you can still tell if the light is burned out (in most planes), by pulling the throttle to idle and if the gear horn doesn't come on, the gear is down and locked. In a few planes, this only means that all three gear are locked, but believe it or not, one could be locked up and the other two locked down and you'd get the same no horn response. Make sure you know what your plane does.

If neither of the above solves the problem, you still have an unknown. Flying by the tower will tell if the gear is down, but it won't tell if it's locked, so now it's time to do a manual gear extension. If it doesn't result in the correct number of lights, you still can't assume that the gear is down and locked and you have a bad micro-switch. The problem is that if there is a hydraulic leak in the wrong place (there's a RIGHT one?), even manual gear extension won't drop the gear in a Cessna. In a Piper, the loss of all your hydraulic fluid at cruise speeds will result in gear that won't extend under the published procedure, since the nose gear has already dropped part way, and doesn't have the required momentum to lock against the too-fast airstream. I've actually had this one happen to me, as long-time readers may remember.

So, at this point you could have a bad micro-switch, or the gear may not be down, and worse, there's no way to tell which one it is. Before doing anything else, call tower, approach, and ask for help. Flying is a team sport, and the folks on the ground may be able to patch you to an instructor, a maintenance person, the factory, or someone who may have something new to try. Some tower folks are pilots themselves.

Now, assuming you've done all the above, and the light is still out, what do you do? The landing is going to be interesting and may actually be exciting. Do you want to do an exciting landing at a short field with no fire equipment, or at a larger one with equipment? It probably doesn't qualify as grand-standing if you opt for the larger field. I certainly would (and did). Having done that, call the appropriate tower, explain the nature of the problem, declare an emergency, and ask for fire and rescue equipment to be standing by.

Unfortunately, all the previous stuff is straight forward compared to what comes next, all of which starts getting into personal preference and value judgments. Do you land with the gear you have down, or suck them up and land on the belly? It may depend upon which gear is not locked. I've seen landing with both mains down and the nose stuck, and landings with one main unlocked. The first one isn't too bad, but the landing with one main gear unlocked is pretty messy - really ugly loss of directional control, wing damage, etc. Do you shut the engine down? You might save the prop and the engine, but lose the chance for a go-around if the landing doesn't work out right. What about turning off the electrical system? Getting rid of electricity and its sparks probably makes sense if there is a chance of fuel tank rupture and fire (more likely in a low wing, I would think). Regardless of your choices on the previous decisions, it's definitely a good idea to unlatch the doors before touching down. Like many of my columns, I hope you never need to use these concepts in the real world, and that you keep yourself firmly in the "those who are going to" category.

Hayward Air Rally - Save the date!

The 44th Annual Hayward Air Rally is May 16, 2008. As regular rally pilots already know, it's an incredible amount of fun. But more than that, it is a great way to increase your proficiency, enhance your safety and ... get credit towards the FAA wings program.

For members only, West Valley is offering prizes of $500 credit on your account for 1st place, $250 credit on your account for 2nd place and a $150 credit on your account for 3rd place toward your flight, in addition to the prizes already offered. Even more exciting; just for participating, you will receive one month dues free!

Pilot and copilot teams fly the rally course and identify checkpoints from the air. The team that comes closest to their estimated time and fuel estimates win. There is an awards banquet, raffle prizes and an opportunity to hang out with other pilots who love to fly and improve their skills. Trophies are given to the top 15 teams at the Palm Springs Awards Banquet. The rally can only accommodate 70 aircraft, so check it out now! Registration ends on May 1st!

For more information, a video and registration information, visit the www.hwdairrally.org website.

The Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose , CA is the target again of a potential closure action by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. In March, the board voted for studies of the potential net financial benefits of developing the airport and the potential legal issues with closing the airport. At their June 3, 2008 meeting, they will vote on whether to continue toward closure, and if so, will familiarize themselves with a closure process at their August meeting. Now is the time for pilots and aviation supporters everywhere to begin mobilizing to preserve this valuable regional resource. As you know, once an airport is gone, it can never be replaced. Here's a list of ways that you can help.

First and foremost, if you know one of the five Santa Clara County supervisors, make an appointment with them to explain face-to-face why Reid-Hillview is important to you. Explain what it would mean to you personally if the airport were taken away. Point out that if RHV were closed, there will be fewer places to practice landings, leading to more planes flying around Palo Alto and San Jose International airports. Suggest that rather than closing RHV, the county work on ways to increase the revenue generated from developing commercial ventures on the property. For example, county policy currently only permits month-to-month leases, which have inhibited anyone from investing in reopening the restaurant in the airport¡¯s terminal building.
Second, join one or both of the groups that is actively fighting the airport closure. The Reid-Hillview Airport Association, RHVAA, represents airport tenants and pilots, and actively works on relationships with the surrounding neighborhoods. Membership dues are $25 per year, and you can find more details about them at their www.rhvaa.org website and download a membership application at http://www.rhvaa.org/about_rhvaa/MissionAndSignup_031708.pdf
Third, CRAMP, the Coalition for Responsible Airport Management and Policy, works with elected officials and the separate CRAMP PAC (Political Action Committee), donates to the election campaign funds of local candidates who support general aviation. CRAMP was highly involved in the 1996 RHV closure fight and has been dormant during the relative calm of the last few years. They¡¯ve just been reactivated and sent out a message last week to past members asking for donations for CRAMP and the CRAMP PAC. Please consider donating your cost of at least one or two hours of flight time to the CRAMP PAC. Send your checks for CRAMP and CRAMP PAC to 2010 Majestic Way , San Jose , CA 95132 . For PAC donations include your name, address, employer, and job title and remember that these political contributions are not tax deductible.
Fourth, join the Silicon Valley GA Yahoo group, so that you receive updates on the fight. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SiliconValleyGA/join? and enter information about yourself to join. Alternatively, you can send an email message to siliconvalleyga-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. If the Board of Supervisors votes to continue the closure process at their June meeting, RHVAA or CRAMP may call upon you for further action.
Fifth, learn the Facts The county studies of RHV airport closure in the 1990's was motivated by safety concerns, since a residential neighborhood had grown up around the airport in the years since it was founded. A 1992 county funded study found that the airport was the safest possible use of the land for the well-being of airport neighbors. No one living around the airport has ever been injured by an aircraft accident.

In contrast, the latest RHV closure study is motivated by budget concerns. The county is facing a $215 million dollar budget deficit this year and is considering whether selling the 180 acre airport might help to balance their spreadsheet for a year. Here are some facts regarding Reid-Hillview.

1. The RHV airport is self-funding and it generates a budget surplus used at E16 one of the other airports the county operates. Closing RHV would cause the South County to operate at a loss.
2. A County funded study showed that the RHV airport generates $40 million of economic benefit to the community every year. In 1996, the County Budget Director concluded that the county’s attempt to close the airport had led to direct costs to the county budget of over $3 million.
3. A county funded environmental impact statement concluded that replacing RHV with mixed residential or commercial/light industrial uses would create three times the pollution created by the airport.
4. From 1997-2002, RHV had 1.2 million operations, making it the 76th busiest airport in the country (including commercial airports like O'Hare and Atlanta ). If the airport is closed, many of the landings now at RHV will be transferred to San Jose International and Palo Alto airports.

Finally, RHV is a valuable asset, both to pilots and to the surrounding neighborhoods. Closing it is not a solution to the county budget problems. Pilots and airport supporters need to take action now to help save this valuable resource.