FROM THE DESK OF THE CHIEF
WVFC Chief Pilot Steve Blonstein chiefpilot@wvfc.org

THE OTHER IFR

Recently I had a fun afternoon and evening, flying with a member from Palo Alto to San Diego International airport to have dinner on the waterfront. The cool thing about Lindbergh International airport is that once you’ve parked your plane at the GA FBO (Landmark Aviation), you can step out their back door and it’s just a few minutes to walk from there to the waterfront -- and some nice restaurants.

The weather on the way there and back was pretty much severe clear with visibilities somewhere between 50 and 100 statute miles. The entire flight was done under IFR flight rules! Those that don’t have an instrument rating might be wondering why anyone would do it this way. The answer is what I call “the other IFR”.

Student pilots and private pilots often think that IFR is for flying in the clouds. Around here that often means departing into the marine layer or arriving back and shooting a GPS approach to Palo Alto or San Carlos (when that approach is available). The rating is sometimes reduced to simply getting in and out of the Bay Area early morning fog. And then it’s often a bit of a hassle because you have to file an instrument flight plan, copy down IFR clearances, set up the panel in the plane, take a delay on the ground while ATC finds a hole for you, be vectored around to keep you safe in your hole and eventually out of the Bay Area and on your way. It’s a reasonably high price to pay for the convenience of punching through the morning fog. I’m not saying it isn’t useful -- it certainly is -- but sometimes people see the return on investment on all the initial and recurrent training requirements as too burdensome to make it worthwhile. What you might not realize is that while you’re being vectored around in the fog, you’re likely in Bravo or Charlie airspace and, for once in your life, you don’t have to worry about it because you’re IFR and it’s the controllers’ responsibility.

So now imagine you need or want to take a trip through some really scary and complicated airspace (say, Los Angeles) and you really don’t want the hassle and worry of navigating around, under, or over the Bravo. Well, why not pull out your supreme trump card and simply go IFR and not have to worry about it? The same is true for the arrival into an unfamiliar and scary-looking destination airport. Where is the airport? Where is the runway? How do I get down to it? How on earth am I going to fit in between a 737 and a CRJ? Well, when you’re IFR you really don’t have to worry so much about these things because the controller is likely to vector you to a point on an approach that will manage both your lateral and vertical approach to the runway. No worries about busting Bravo and you’ve been cleared for an approach and the airspace is yours.

Of course, the same applies for the departure. You can depart some of the most insanely complicated airspace in the world and while on that IFR clearance, the controllers take on the workload of managing your way out of there. It’s pretty much too good to be true, but it’s real. There’s just one minor detail - you need that IFR rating. So if and when you decide to go after the IFR rating, don’t forget one of the real advantages that you’re going to acquire.

Finally, a couple of disclaimers. If you’re going to try this yourself, it’s a really good idea to actually go in VFR conditions for several reasons, especially when going into a super busy terminal area like San Diego (or Las Vegas, or Burbank etc. etc). Number one is the stress factor. It’s hard enough dealing with a busy terminal area; being in actual IMC is going to significantly increase the workload. When approaching the destination airport, if the controller can dish out visual approaches to the jetliners it will be much easier to accommodate you in terms of timing and spacing. Also, it’s better to go in a plane with some extra speed. If you’re able to fly an approach and arrival at higher speed, it will be much easier for the controllers to slot you into the flow. It’s also a good idea to have practiced flying approaches at a much higher than normal airspeed so that you’re comfortable when it comes to this scenario. The slower you are, the longer you’ll wait to get slotted in and the more likely you’ll be turned away from final if you don’t keep your speed up.

So, dinner at the Fish Market on the San Diego waterfront was great. I mentioned to the student that there’s a Fish Market (same restaurant group) on El Camino in Palo Alto and it would have been a lot quicker to go to that one for dinner. But it just wouldn’t have been anywhere near as much fun. This was a perfect application of the other IFR.

Fly safe.

AS THE WRENCH TURNS
by Joshua Smith GM WVFC

I accepted letters of resignation from both Kevin and Carrie. Their last day will be April  30th 2010.

Kevin is going out on his own, starting his own aircraft repair shop at Palo Alto airport. As far as WVFC is concerned, his business will operate within the same schema as any other outside vendor. I feel this a very positive move for both WVFC and Kevin, as well the owners of WVFC fleet aircraft. WVFC, as needed, will still be able to utilize their services and knowledge as an outside MX vendor.

In terms of WVFC MX department, we will continue to provide Maintenance services. I will be looking for a new MX supervisor to take over the department. I am looking for an IA, so we will be able to continue doing Annuals and other MX as required. I am also taking this opportunity to analyze the MX department and do what I can to lower overhead and maximize efficiencies.

I appreciate both of them working with the Club to give us more time to find replacements and work through transitional issues.

Please E mail or call me (ext. 340) if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks

Josh

OWNERS LETTER
by WVFC Board Member John Felleman

I hope that the good weather I have while I write this article is holding up by the time you read it. We could all use some sunlight, for our mental health as well as our logbook. If you are a regular reader of the newsletter, you probably know that the club is working hard to overcome the challenges that a sluggish economy and grey weather pose to our operations. Flight hours are down, which means that club revenue from operating fees is reduced. Owners and CFIs are also tightening belts. The good news is that challenges like this stimulate a focus on better execution and creative ways to improve operations. As members, we will benefit from these changes. Hopefully, you will also take the opportunity to help.

The club has initiated an effort to improve the squawk process from beginning to end. The goal is to insure that squawks are reported diligently and accurately and that they are handled expeditiously by club maintenance. The improvement process team comprises members, CFIs, owners, and club staff. The owner community is looking forward to these improvements. Getting prompt, accurate input on aircraft issues helps us maintain our planes. Reducing squawks reported by members unfamiliar with systems or aircraft idiosyncrasies costs us money and needlessly delays or cancels other members’ flights.

Another initiative is training to help reduce unnecessary wear and tear on aircraft. Reducing maintenance cost and downtime ultimately results in lower rates and higher dispatch availability for members, as well as fewer headaches and expenses for owners. There is a working group addressing this initiative with input from the Chief Pilot’s office as well.

The low level of flight activity this time of year provides a great opportunity to members. Owners and CFIs are looking for hours. Talk to them about block rates or other incentives. It is also a chance to get a jump on the flying season by scheduling that BFR or IPC you have been meaning to get out of the way.

I hope to see you soon at the club.

There aren’t any cops in the sky to hand out speeding tickets perhaps because there is no place to pull over. You can go supersonic off the coast or over parts of Nevada if you’ve got an airplane that can do it. There are a few privately owned Mach-2 MiG 21’s in California, but for most people far lower speed limits are dictated by the capabilities of low-speed airplanes.

V_NE is the “red line” on the airspeed indicator. Beyond V_NE, bad things such as flutter can happen even in 1-g flight. Aileron flutter is a rapid oscillation of the ailerons which can quickly lead to aileron failure. Flutter is affected by wing stiffness and control surface balancing, among other factors, but the biggest contributing factor is airspeed.

V_NO, or the maximum normal operating speed, is the upper limit of the airspeed indicator’s green arc. The range between V_NO and V_NE is called the “caution range” and one must only operate in this range in smooth air. On a V – G diagram, V_NO is determined by the intersection of the negative limit load factor and the load produced by an instantaneous 30 foot per second downdraft.

V_A is the maximum speed at which an airplane can be stalled without exceeding its structural limits. It is also the minimum speed at which the wing produces lift equal to the positive limit load factor. People often say that V_A is the speed at which full, abrupt control movements can be made without exceeding the structural limits of an airplane, but this may be misleading. Full, abrupt movements which are safe at V_A are only those starting from a 1-g flight condition, applied on one axis at a time, and non-repetitive. Don’t forget the A300 pilot who ripped the rudder off in New York in 2001.

V_A decreases with weight, just like other stall speeds. It is important to slow down to V_A or less in turbulence. If turbulence is severe, just try to maintain attitude without worrying about exact altitude as long as you are not too near the ground.

It may seem unlikely that one would get caught speeding unintentionally. A typical scenario in which it can happen is flying near a mountain range and encountering a prolonged updraft. In an effort to maintain altitude a pilot may lower the nose without adjusting power and not notice that airspeed has increased. Losing altitude can sometimes be a real problem! Glider pilots in the Sierras often enjoy days when they can fly as long as they want in strong updrafts.

Finally, fly with your CFI in turbulence if you get a chance. Although you should use caution and reduce speed below V_A, you can also take comfort that airplanes are very strong. You’ll be uncomfortable long before the airplane is in danger.

The weather is improving. After nearly three solid months of rain, wind, overcast and the like, I actually saw the sun last week! Yes! Flying weather is here again!

The month has been a good one.

• There have been no incidents, club operations are normal and the outlook is good.
• A pre-audit evaluation was conducted by ex-Chairman, Mel Steiner. He proclaimed that our books and financial management policies would easily pass any IRS audit!
• A Grievance Policy was adopted in March
• The 2011 Budget was discussed and adopted at the last Board meeting
• We deferred the By-Law discussion until the April meeting. These new ideas have been prepared with the participation of a wide range of members that included CFIs, Owners, Regular Members and Board Members.
• The Strategic Plan will be on the agenda for the April 22nd Board Meeting
• We will also discuss the Squawk Policy in the April meeting

Regrettably, our Director and Deputy Director of Maintenance have tendered their resignations. Kevin and Carrie are opening their own maintenance facility in the hangar directly behind the PAO Club Offices, in the old Victor hangar. They will be providing a full-service capability in their new enterprise. We have appreciated the professionalism they have brought to the Club and wish them well.

Did you ever consider being a WVFC BOARD MEMBER? We’re looking for Volunteers! Our next election will be in June. I hope you will consider joining us in this experience. Three (or four) board seats will be up for election. Qualifications are simple: Have the time and dedication to devote two years service to the club (about 6 hours per month) and be able to make good decisions. We need candidates who are willing to donate some of their time to this rewarding experience. Please contact the GM or any of the board members for more information.

Mark your calendars! The Hayward Air Rally is scheduled for June 11th!

The Hayward Air Rally is a challenging proficiency exercise. You will be assigned four waypoints to navigate to on each of two legs. You only need to do two things to win: Make a plan, Fly the plan.

The event asks you to:

Plan a flight that will get you to 4 waypoints and to your destination on each of two legs. (No Problem!)

1. Estimate your flight time and fuel usage and report it before you go. (How hard can this be?)
2. Fly your plan demonstrating navigation, timing and fuel management skills. (Like falling off a Log!)

I already know how much fun it is and I’d like you to find out too. Please join us in this year’s rally. The first 15 places get a nice trophy (The top 10 get $$ too). And, if you place in one of the top three spots in a WVFC plane, the Club will subsidize your rental cost: $500 for 1st, $250 for 2nd and $125 for 3rd! You must register by May 31st; you can do so by going to www.hwdairrally.org to download and fill in the registration forms. It is a fun weekend and we’d love to see you there.

Blue skies ...

Gary