THE COMMUNITY OF FLYING
by Josh Smith, General Manager

Thanks to a dry Jan, those that flew had the pleasure of enjoying some spectacular winter flying. As a result, WVFC had a decent flying month for a January, largely due to the lack of rain and some really beautiful winter flying days. Feb., is on the other hand quite rain filled. Of course we need the rain, so very little complaining.

Membership Survey: In general the club did well in the member survey for 2008. In terms of overall impression; Front desk service, quality of CFI group, quality of maintenance and availability of aircraft the club was 70% either good or excellent. In General we scored higher on the live survey vs the online survey.

The one area we continue to score low is the Squawk process. 60% in the good or excellent, 27%(online) 19% (live Survey) average or poor. I wonder though if this is like asking how someone feels about the complaint department, or having to pay taxes? Over the last year the club has made a lot of changes to Cassi as well as modifying the behinds scenes processing of squawks. The goals have been to improve visibility, processing time and reduce false squawks.  I wonder if there is an issue with the club not providing enough education and communication on these improvements? Obviously I would like the club to score higher in this area, and as a result will dig into this deeper.

For more information on Squawks and Cassi enhancements please see the following helpful video put together by our very own newsletter editor; Mary Anne Dach (Click Here for Video)

Other important data from the surveys,

Most common aircraft that were requested;

• Less Expensive Trainers
  
• More complex Aircraft
  
• Twins
  
• C182's, (I found this interesting as I thought we have more than enough)
  
• DA-40's (This is very interesting)
  
• T206

Some of these I find curious, due to the fact the planes we DO have are not flying the required 40hr/month that is the standard business plan.

We also did an owner Survey, and CFI survey. (There was some commentary that was found on all three, that will be put into the hopper to make some serious improvements on).
 
• Paperwork, a lot of comments on paperwork, lessen the load, more sensible, easier to understand, etc.., (I could not agree more. this will be a huge focus going forward)
  
• Clean up the locations, particularly KPAO. 
  
• Better use of the web, forms, information etc.,
  
• Easier way to manage, meet, and communicate with flight instructors.
  
• Keep costs down ( this was across the board)
  
• Seemingly arbitrary rule changes were annoying. While they are not arbitrary, I did learn that there does need to be more detailed explanations on changes.
  

There were others, and the board and I are going through all points of feedback, and developing a cohesive business plan that will provide for improvement in the and other areas, as well as help us meet the demand of these challenging economic times.

Please remember, if you recommend a member to the club and they sign-up you get a free months dues!

Also Christine, Dan and others are working hard to create a lot of  fun flying events , so stay up to speed on the latest goings on with in the club calendar . 

Thanks and remember, everything looks better at 5,000 feet. Stay current and stay safe.



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NEW CHIEF PILOT
WVFC Chief Pilot chief pilot@wvfc.org

The new Chief Pilot for WVFC will be Steve Blonstein. Steve will begin as the chief officially at the next CFI meeting February 14th. Normally I would wait until the CFI meeting to make the announcement , however Steve is anxious to delve into a lot of the projects and "hit the ground running" as they say.
For those of you who are not familiar with Steve, a brief history;

Originally from England, Steve graduated from Imperial College, London in 1983 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He then came to the United States to pursue a high tech career, first spending 4 years in Pennsylvania and then relocating to Northern California in 1987 where he held several high tech jobs on the Bay Area. In 1991, Steve located to Grass Valley, a small town about 50 miles north of Sacramento in the foothills of the Sierra. It was here that Steve took his first demo flight in a C-152 out of the Nevada County Airport (then O17, now KGOO). He became hooked after that one flight. He earned his private pilot certificate in 1992. In moving back to the Bay Area in 1992, Steve joined West Valley Flying Club where he has been a member ever since. He worked through various ratings over the next few years and became a CFI in 1997. He started to instruct part-time at West Valley in 1998. Steve has been an aircraft owner with leaseback's at West Valley for the past 10 years, including a Cessna 172 and a Cirrus SR20. This has enabled Steve to see all sides of the “equation” that makes West Valley the unique club it is. In 2008, Steve decided to “retire” from the high tech world and move to full-time flight instruction. The opportunity to serve as chief pilot came along and seemed like the perfect opportunity for the time and circumstances.

I am excited to have Steve join the team. He comes with a very strong management background. He has always been very helpful since I have been involved in managing the club, particularly in the area of Marketing, owner relations, etc.., His unique perspective in being a student/member, cfi/member, owner/member, gives him a balanced perspective on how the club runs.

He can be reached at either email:
Chiefpilot@wvfc.org or Steve@wvfc.org

Be on the look out for safety Seminars . Even if you are not flying, this is a great way to keep your head in the game, learn new and interesting things and become a safer pilot.

Take Care, and see you in the Air!


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AS THE WRENCH TURNS
by your friendly maintenance department, maintenance@wvfc.org

Oh Start you stupid plane, oh, please start. Have you ever uttered this phrase, or thought this in your head?

Being out on the line as often as I am, I get to see a lot and lately I have noticed a lot of members whom have been struggling to start the aircraft. What's also shocking that in many cases (the pilot) was not consulting the POH, which I admit can be vague at times, to help them start the plane.

Here is the simple truth; with correct fuel air mixture (that is the trick!)  the mixture will ignite  and start the aircraft. If this is correct the aircraft will start within 1-2 blades. 

9 Helpful hints;

1.  For hand priming note the difference between short and long stroke primers. Short stroke primers (Piper/Citabria) will require 2x as many pumps as long stroke (Cessna) primers. Some Archers require as much as 6 shots of prime. Engines will require more prime on cold days than on warm days.
2. Note the fuel flow gauge on fuel injected starts, if there is no fuel flow, you are not priming the engine!
   
3. Do review the POH for all start procedures, especially warm engine and flooded starts! A huge error we see is people trying to start warm engines like it was the first start of the day. Particularly on fuel injected motors, this can cause a lot of heartache, as vapor lock may take place. Review the key book to see if anyone flew the aircraft before you. Some aircraft take several hours to get the engine back to OAT. Feel the hood to figure if the engine is still warm or not.
   
4.  If you flood the engine and can not get it started with the flooded procedure, then best to walk away and take a break. Some aircraft just do not like to start when they are flooded.
   
5. Best sign that you are flooding the engine, GAS ON THE FRONT TIRE OR ON THE GROUND. This is often the "blue stain on the front wheel pant" squawk. AVGas is died blue, and hence will leave a blue stain . Note most aircraft have a method for draining excess fuel out of the cylinders.Some better then others.
6. Minimize pre-flight electrical usage. A fresher battery will give you a more robust turn of the starter, hence a better start.
7. Read all of the instructions in the POH carefully. Even though they can be vague at times, be sure to use appropriate measurements when available. Throttle 1/2 inch is not throttle 1/2 open.
   
8. DO not be a "Crakenstien". If the engine does not fire within 2-3 turns of the prop. then think and try something new . More prime, flooded start, hot start, read the POH, and for help, something. Just cranking on the engine is not the solution.
   
9.  Ask for help. I can remember early in my flying career, never getting a good explanation on how to start the aircraft I was flying. My CFI would simply take over the start procedure after I failed the first attempt. If you are not getting a plane started I would rather have one of our helpful MX staff members, or a CFI or someone help you get the plane started, than miss your flight, or ware out the starter, or get frustrated, or whatever.
   

Have Fun, Be Safe, your friendly MX department.



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THE OWNERS CORNER
by John Felleman

Flight activity at WVFC has not been immune to the current economic situation.  Some members have been directly affected by the slowdown, and many others are exercising fiscal caution.  This month, I'm going to explore some of the opportunities this creates for those of you who are maintaining your level of flight activity, and offer some suggestions for those who are cutting back.  Planes are like racehorses--they like to be flown.  I guess racehorses prefer to be run, but you get my point.  Regular operation helps ward off engine corrosion and other maintenance issues that can plague aircraft which sit unused.  As owners, we want our planes to fly regularly.  We also look for those operating hours to offset fixed costs like interest payments, insurance, tie-downs and GPS navdata subscriptions.  These facts give us an incentive to work with members to accommodate reasonable requests from members trying to manage their flying expense.

Do you have a favorite plane?  Try contacting the owner to see if you can obtain a block rate.  Have you been considering an overnight flight?  Check with the owner to see if they will waive the daily minimum hours.  Consider booking the trip during the week so you aren't affecting weekend availability and the owner may be more flexible.

Have you been thinking of checking out in a new type?   Owners often extend student checkout rates.  Even if the rate isn't listed in CASSi, you can ask them about it.  We always like to see new pilots showing interest in our plane and encouraging checkouts is one of the ways we promote that.  If you are trying to reduce your monthly flying budget, you don't have to cut back on hours.  Get checked out in a less expensive model.  If all your flying experience has been in tricycle-gear aircraft, the fun of a tail wheel endorsement is a way to extend your flight skills and pay less for every hour of flight.  More hours for the same amount of money will let you keep your flying skills honed.  If your budget permits, this might also be a good time to take a step up to a higher class of aircraft.  Owners of those planes are also looking for new pilots and some of us will be especially flexible right now.

A final suggestion for pilots who wish to stay active is to fly with Angel Flight West.  The need for mission pilots remains steady and it is a great way for general aviation to give back to society.  The club discounts the ops fee on Angel Flight rentals, and some owners offer additional discounts.  Maintaining currency, saving on hourly costs, and giving a precious gift of transport to those in need is a great win for all.  If you are not already an Angel Flight pilot, enrollment and orientation are simple and easy.

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POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES
by Dave Fry, Aviation Safety Counselor

One of my early cross countries was from Moffett to Orange County. Back then, the visual points weren’t flagged on the VFR terminal or sectional charts, and I decided that not being able to identify and fly to the points Los Angeles Approach would call out for me was reason enough to fly there on an instrument plan.

I carefully figured altitudes, winds, obstacles, and even what I knew of local arrival and departure routes, and filed my flight plan. When I got the clearance, there were three points in common with what I filed. Moffett, Orange County, and the Fillmore VOR, and the plan clearance was to cross it on victor airways that weren’t on my plan.

But it illustrates the truth of the old adage that when you’re flying IFR, there are three flight plans. The one you file, the one you’re cleared for, and the one you end up flying. And if you’re lucky, the ends are not changed too much.

The concept applies to the VFR world, too, and that’s part of the topic for this article. There have been several (way too many) club aircraft involved in accidents over the course of the past year, and though I’am not going to go into any particular detail, I’m going to construct a scenario in which some of the elements of some of the accidents occurred.

Let’s start with a cross country flight over a considerable distance. Where can things go sufficiently wrong that they result in bent and broken airplanes? Most of the things that will come up have actually happened in club planes.

After a full day at work, you take a deep breath and head over to the club to preflight the plane. Plan A has you finishing the preflight quickly and getting on your way. It’s only a few hours to your destination, and you’ll get there for a late dinner.

So now things start to change. The weather is less than the perfect conditions predicted earlier in the day, and an IFR plan makes more sense, but that means you need to re-file. The tanks are low and need to be filled, and the oil is low and that needs done, too.

Now, you’re going to be flying at night over mountains, and this is the first time you’ve flown this plane without an instructor.

You haven’t even taken off yet, and it should be pretty clear that not only should you have a plan B, but executing it should start sounding pretty good. Plan B in these situations should be based on personal minimums. Situations exactly like these lead directly to a couple of totaled airplanes here at West Valley in the past few years.

But there are other types of Plan B. What happens when the engine either quits or dramatically loses power on takeoff? Even if you have a Plan B and even if you brief it before takeoff (which few people do), it’s not easy to execute Plan B successfully. We’ve lost a couple of planes in this scenario. And if you don’t have a Plan B, the scenario could be even worse.

You get to your destination, and it’s not landable for whatever reason, and you need to divert to an alternate. Did you plan for that? You know the direction of the pattern from the sectional, but what about pattern altitude? What are the performance margins for takeoff and landing? Is it a one-way-in, one-way-out kind of airport? If you don’t have your AFM, how will you know? You start your takeoff roll, and part way down the runway you begin to have doubts about being able to lift off in time or to clear the trees, so you slam on the brakes. Did you figure an accelerate-stop distance? Or a point of the runway at which you had to have 75% of takeoff airspeed (or any other metric) in order to be able to make a safe takeoff?

The weather is above minimums, but below circling minimums, so you shoot the approach and don’t brief the missed approach instructions, because you’re clearly going to be landing. You break out well above minimums, but at 100 feet, the tower calls and tells you that someone has erroneously taxied onto the runway and orders a go-around. Now you’re back in the clouds and you have no idea what the missed approach procedure is.

All but one of the above scenarios has resulted in a bent or broken airplane in the past few years here at West Valley.

And the bottom line should be that we all need a Plan B for every phase of flight, we need the ability (and resources) to create and evaluate Plan B, and we need the courage to override our tendency to continue motoring along on Plan A and to execute Plan B.

And the most important concept here is that if you don’t have a Plan B, you can’t execute it. There are many times in which you can’t make up Plan B as you go along, you need to be able to execute a plan you already know and understand.

 

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Phasing Out 121.5 MHz ELTs – What does it mean for pilots?
by Raymond Woo, WVFC CFI

You have probably heard that on Feb. 1, 2009, the internationalCOSPAS-SARSAT Program stopped monitoring 121.5 emergency beacons.  But what does this actually mean for pilots?

In the continental US, all missing aircraft searches are coordinated by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC).  There are two ways in which a search can be opened.  The first is when an aircraft is reported missing or overdue by ATC/FSS or a family member.  The second way is if an active ELT is reported by the SARSAT satellites or by pilots monitoring 121.5.  Once a search is opened, the AFRCC coordinates with local authorities and the Civil Air Patrol to launch appropriate search resources.

The SARSAT system consists of 8 satellites that detect and triangulate emergency beacons.  Until Feb. 1, they monitored the emergency frequencies 121.5, 243, and 406 MHz.  But after Feb. 1, the monitoring of 121.5 and 243 was turned off, leaving only the 406 frequency.  Without getting into the details, there are some technical benefits to disabling the 121.5 monitoring as well as cost savings for not having to process the signals.  121.5 is still the emergency frequency for making distress calls, but the satellites no longer pickup emergency beacons on this frequency.

What are the benefits of 406 ELTs?  The satellite triangulation is more accurate – 1-3nm accuracy compared to 12-15nm accuracy with 121.5.  406 beacons emit a digital signal that contains encoded information indicating the owner of the beacon.  Some 406 beacons are coupled with internal or external GPS units and can transmit coordinates for even better positional accuracy.  But it is a common myth that all 406 ELTs transmit GPS coordinates – in fact, most do not!  In most new planes, a GPS coupled 406 ELT is an optional upgrade.  Furthermore, the GPS coordinates come from the aircraft’s navigational GPS, so in the event of an avionics failure the coordinates are lost.

While ELTs are required for most aircraft, the FAA has not instituted regulations requiring 406 ELTs.  As a result, the vast majority of planes in the rental fleet still have 121.5 only ELTs.  So where does this leave us as renter pilots?  Here are some general tips to keep in mind:

1)      Be familiar with the equipment that you are flying.  Know whether the plane you are flying has a 121.5, 406, or 406 GPS ELT and factor this into your pre-flight planning

2)      Don’t let 406 beacons give you a false sense of security.  Even if the beacon is GPS capable, that does not guarantee that you will be located faster in the event of an emergency.  From my own experiences searching for 406 beacons, I can tell you that the satellite triangulation is not always as accurate as advertised

3)      If you fly without a 406 beacon, you need to have a way for search personnel to know if you are overdue and what your approximate location is so that they can get within range of the 121.5 ELT.  File an accurate flight plan and give airborne position reports.  At the very least, make sure someone on the ground knows your route of flight and estimated time of arrival.  Get VFR flight following (but be aware that this does not substitute for a flight plan)

4)      For extended flights in non 406 ELT equipped planes, consider getting your own personal locator beacon (PLB).  These are basically handheld ELTs and cost several hundred dollars.  There are also personal tracking devices such as the SPOT Satellite Messenger which can be used to alert authorities in case of an emergency.  But be aware that devices such as the SPOT do not activate the SARSAT system.  Also, all of these personal locator devices require you to be conscious to activate the distress call – ELTs have a g-switch that should automatically activate in the event of a crash

5)      If you have your own PLB, register it and keep the information up to date!  Having out of date registration information will delay the search

6)      Monitor 121.5!  You should already be doing this whenever possible, but now it is even more important.  If you hear an ELT, report it to the nearest ATC or FSS facility – this could be critical in someone else’s rescue

In this article, I’ve left out a lot of details and made some simplifications – if you would like to learn more about the 121.5 phase-out and how the SARSAT system works, visit www.sarsat.noaa.gov.   If you are curious about what it’s like to go out and search for missing aircraft, feel free to send me questions or go and visit your local Civil Air Patrol unit.

 

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WINTER ENGINE STARTS- BE KIND TO YOUR ENGINE
by Dave Zitten, WVFC CFI & International Traveler

This article first appeared in the WVFC newsletter of April, 2008. It is here to remind pilots about being nice to cold engines.


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 warms up. Learn to position the throttle so that when the engine starts RPM is around 1000 or less.

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 checking fuel quality before doing an early prime?

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).
(http://davesflightnotes.blogspot.com/)

 

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FUN PLACES TO FLY -- BYRON
by Sue Ballew, WVFC CFI

Did you know that a historic resort called the “Byron Hot Springs Hotel” just at the northeast edge of the small town of Byron, could be restored to its once magnificent sprawling grounds filled with natural hot springs, tropical palm trees, Mediterranean olive trees, tennis courts, and luxury hotel rooms.


A century ago it was a California premier spa hotel. While it was open, it attracted Hollywood and the rich and famous. Then during WWII it was used as a top-secret interrogation center for prisoners of war. After the war it served several other functions but then was closed for good in the 1980s.

A local developer, who has owned the property since 1989, has gathered up potential investors and hopes to have the property restored and operating in 2011.

For a glimpse of this historical property, if you happen to be flying in the area, take a moment to dip down and fly over for a great view. Be aware of the numerous gliders and jumpers nearby at Byron airport.

What a great fly-in destination this would make.

See story from the San Francisco Chronicle