I am sure the economy, which has been stormy one and a main topic of discussion recently, certainly has us all spending more conservatively. I am sure as in most cases, discretionary spending has dropped significantly in most peoples budgets. The Club of course is not immune to this and as a result we have seen a decrease in flying hours both compared to prior years and to current budgeted numbers. When we developed the business plan for this year, we planned for a no growth year with the potential of some drop off. YTD we have seen a drop of around 10% in most key revenue measures. Please note, the Club is in a healthy financial position. The key though is to stay ahead of the curve and be aggressive as opposed to waiting until the situation becomes dire. Its too bad the flying is down since we are experiencing a dryer than normal winter and we have seen some spectacular flying days lately.

The good news is that the Club did a lot of infra structural development while we were in the growth cycle. One of those keys was the installation of a new accounting system which allows us to not only track every detail of our finances, it allows us to forecast more accurately. As a result we are working diligently to manage costs and cut where necessary to ensure the long term health of the Flying Club.

Most of the cuts that will be made will not even be noticed to most members of the Club. They include project development and training allotments that will have to put on hold until we can see a growth in revenues. There unfortunately is one cut that will be relatively obvious yet necessary for the long term health of the Club. Three years ago we signed a Lease with Magnum Aviation (the FBO at E16) to run the aircraft rental and flight instruction side of the business at that airport. The original lease expires at the end of the current year. Unfortunately we were unable to negotiate a deal that would allow us to continue to operate at that location in a fiscally prudent manner in terms of the health of the Club as a whole. Therefore we have decided not to renew our lease at E16 and we will be ceasing operations at South County airport on Dec. 31 2008. After Dec. 31 services provided by WVFC will be provided by Magnum Aviation or another vendor of their choice.  

When we were made the offer to run the flight ops at South County, we felt with South Bay growth and the exclusivity of the agreement, we could afford a long term stake if the location was able to at least break even or run at a small loss. With the current economic pressures and slow down turn in our local economy, in looking at past performance and future predictions, we feel this particular location is running at a loss that the Club simply cannot afford.  

We will work closely with the management of Magnum Aviation who will continue providing flight instruction and aircraft rental at E16 beyond Dec 31, 2008.  It is our goal to make any transition as easy as possible. All the aircraft on the flight line at E16 will be staying.

We will be sending out details on the specific procedures around the transition to those members who fly out of South County airport. We are not currently aware of exactly what business model Magnum aviation will choose, however we will keep all concerned parties posted of the details as we become aware of them.

Speaking of which, please mark your calendars for the WVFC Holiday Party Saturday, Dec. 13th. The event will be held as usual at the KPAO facilities. Of course there will be food and libations as well as the CFI of the year announcement. I look forward to seeing you all there, please come and enjoy the festivities.

Thanks and stay safe out there!

Josh

Twenty years ago most people could not have imagined the aviation web resources available to pilots today. As you know you have to be discerning when pulling information from the web and you must be very particular where you get aviation information.

A Club member recently relied on information he took from the airnav.com website. Airnav told the pilot that KPAO tower opened at 8:00am but the tower was opened at 7:00am. No doubt the pilot missed other information that could have alerted him to the fact that he was operating with incorrect information. As a result, the member had a bit of a snarl and a snag with KPAO tower but all ended well. If the member had checked his AFD he may not have made this mistake. Airnav is a great resource for planning purposes and general info but it is not sanctioned by the FAA to provide “approved” aviation information.

The flight environment is complex enough, don’t make it tougher by showing up with bad data. There are very good reasons the FAA tells pilots they must use official FAA sanctioned information sources. If it isn't an official publication, a pilot may not get accurate or current info that can help him make good choices. Thus using an unofficial publication may be a set up for an FAA violation or worse. For example, if a pilot flies into a TFR (temporary flight restriction) area without ATC permission, the pilot could receive a citation or possibole fine. The pilot will have no excuse. The pilot is responsible to be properly briefed and have accurate and current information.

We need to have current approved info; charts, AFD; AIM; weather briefings, etc. During our wx brief we need to check for NOTAMS in the event changes were made to a publication before the next printing.
The bottom line is this - when using any free commercial product or website, you need to be sure you back it up with an FAA sanctioned information source. This will help guarantee you are safe and legal.

WINTER’S NOT-SO-SUBTLE DANGER
It is that time of the year when Jack Frost will start turning up on our airplanes.
Per the NTSB’s website, research results have shown that fine particles of frost or ice, the size of a grain of table salt and distributed as sparsely as one per square centimeter over an airplane wing's upper surface can destroy enough lift to prevent that airplane from taking off.

Lifted from the FAA texts we are told that, "Wind tunnel and flight tests indicate that frost, ice, or snow formations having a thickness and surface roughness similar to medium or coarse sandpaper on the leading edge and upper surface of a wing can reduce wing lift by as much as 30 percent and increase drag by as much as 40 percent."

You can surf the NTSB aviation accident website, http://ntsb.gov/ntsb/query.asp, and see for yourself the Safety Board comments on the hazards of frost and ice accumulation some excerpts from these reports follow. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause(s) of these accidents included:

• The pilot's failure to remove frost from the airplane prior to departure. A factor in the accident was the tall wet grass.
• The pilot's failure to remove sufficient ice/frost from the airplane prior to flight, and his failure to maintain adequate clearance from trees and terrain. A factor associated with the accident is the reduced climb capability of the airplane due to the existence of frost/ice on the airframe.
• The pilot's failure to remove frost from the airplane which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush during the takeoff/initial climb, and an in-flight collision with trees. Contributing to the accident were the rough and uneven airstrip, and degraded aircraft performance due to frost on the wing.
• The pilot's failure to adequately remove frost/ice from the airplane which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush during the takeoff/initial climb.
• The pilot's failure to adequately remove ice/frost from the aircraft and to maintain airspeed during the initial climb after takeoff. An inadequate preflight was a factor.
• The pilot's inadequate pre-flight inspection, which resulted in a decrease in airplane performance due to ice, and a subsequent hard landing.

Here is a link to an article that illustrates more misadventures with frost.
http://www.aopa.org/asf/hotspot/articles/552.html

Use your good judgment by taking the hazards of frost seriously. When you do find frost on your airplane there are things you can do to remove it. You can polish the frost off but be sure you are gentle as to not damage the airplane surfaces. You may turn the frosted surfaces to capture the sunlight to melt the frost or just wait for the day to warm up. Some folks fill ziplock bags with very warm water and rub it along the airplanes skin. You may have your own tricks for frost removal.

If you have an early morning departure during the cold months, plan to be flexible and allow time to deal with frost in the event it is present. However, if you have no way to remove the frost, be wise and just cancel your flight. Whatever you do, be sure the airplane is frost free to ensure a clean, predictable launch.
OAK FSS to be shut down
In a surprise announcement Oct. 15, Lockheed Martin said it will be closing five satellite flight service stations. Check it out:
http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2008/081015fss.html Five flight service stations to close.

It is my opinion that a local knowledge is important and can’t be replaced. I talked with some FAA folks recently who advised was, “if you are unhappy with this turn of events get it on record now with your congress folks now.”

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

http://www.senate.gov/

To report a problem or complaint, call 888/358-7782 (888/FLT-SRVC).
The complaint hotline is monitored by both FAA and Lockheed Martin.

Happy and Safe Flying!

Lucy

Carb heat oh carb heat, how the myth doesth thou perpetuate. Pilots continue to use carb heat when it is absolutely unnecessary. This enriches the mixture and particularly on the smaller engines (C152, 7ECA), causes the plugs to build excessive lead and the cylinders to get damaged. This leads to extra MX and increases the operating costs of the aircraft.

Lycoming data: http://www.lycoming.com/support/publications/service-instructions/pdfs/SI1148C.pdf

I would like to tell a little story. This is a story of a gentleman who owns a C152 on the flight line. Now mind you he only has the one and does his darndest to try and keep the plane on the flight line both in terms of its maintenance and keeping the price affordable. Like you and me he knows that the price of flying keeps going up like all things in life and it's his passion and his dream to continue to share his love of flight with other newcomers.

He and I chatted recently and I could tell he was tired and a bit miffed. You see, he is not reaching his goals. In short, the plane keeps costing him money to keep on the flight line. So in a sense he is paying people to use it. Sure he could raise the rates and make flying more expensive, however he goes back to his "aw shucks love" and dream of sharing flight with others. What makes this story a little more compelling is that he in fact should break even on the plane should his engine make it to TBO but this is where the plan brakes apart. There are two problems that arise,

1. The plugs require cleaning every 30 hours or so due to excessive leading. A normal plug should go greater than 100 hours before needing this extensive of a cleaning job. This adds about an extra $5 per hour to the cost of the plane and of course it is down for that period and the plane loses revenue.

2. The cylinders only last about 60% of their normal life span. This is due again to excessively rich mixtures which causes the cylinders to glaze and the rings to stick together. It then loses compression and the plane fails mag check even worse. The adds another $3-$5 per hour to the cost of the aircraft.

If the owner, as in this case, has not raised the rates, then their finances just get eaten up the by the plane. This owner who remains nameless, (he is the ground instructor at Palo Alto) is in it for the good of flying and for the good of the Club. The least we could do is everything within in our power to use the aircraft responsibly and help keep his operating costs down. Keeping these two seat trainers online is in the best interests of us all. Treating all of the planes as if they were our own will only help prolong their life span on the flight line and it can keep all our costs down. .

Carb heat is an important tool and can help when needed. However, used at the wrong time can cause a lot of dmage to the plane. In the end I could hope that we would use systems with knowledge. Know when to use them and why.

Your Friendly MX Department :)

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