AOPA’s You Can Fly Program’ and Yellowbird
It was great to see Kay Sundaram last week. She made the trip to Long Beach Airport to meet with our fabulous AOPA volunteers and FAA Safety Team representatives. AOPA is the largest aviation association in the world. It has been protecting your freedom to fly for 75 years.
To further our Advanced Pilot Training programs we discussed #YouCanFly and ways to bring down cost of flight training.
No surprise that I fell in love with the Reimagined Aircraft, aka Yellowbird! #FlywithAOPA
Annual ‘Flying Circus’
On Saturday, June 6, 2015, I flew myself and 3 friends to Flabob Airport (KRIR), which is a privately owned airport located in Riverside, California, 38 NM east of Long Beach, as the crow flies. The occasion was the 3rd annual ‘Flying Circus’, which is really an open house, and many antique and vintage aircraft were on display.
This is not an airshow. There are some ‘unofficial’ low fly-bys’, and the traffic pattern was full most of the morning with a variety of aircraft. Officially, all of the aircraft are on ‘static display’. The airports ‘diner’, Flabob Café had a steady flow of diners’ as there was a really good turnout for this. Also, EAA Chapter 1, which calls Flabob Airport home, also hosted its’ own pancake breakfast for the occasion.
It was a fun morning spent with the camaraderie of fellow aviators, as well as being a brief step back to the roots of aviation…as many of the aircraft on display were built during the 1920’s and 1930’s.
Flying to Breakfast
On Saturday morning, May 23, 2015, I flew to the Riverside, CA, airport (KRAL) for breakfast in my Cessna 180, with several other friends, who also have airplanes based at Long Beach, CA. (KLGB). It is a short, 20 minute flight east of Long Beach.
On this particular Saturday morning, the weather was marginal VFR, with ceilings 2,500’ to 3,500’ and visibilities were typically 5 miles or greater. This photo was taken at about 2,000’ as I was just northeast of the 15/91 interchange. It was a smooth ride with little turbulence, as might be expected under these conditions.
Breakfast at Dee’s Restaurant was good…as was the camaraderie. A good time was had by all.
Planes of Fame Air Museum – 2015
During the first weekend in May, 2015, the Planes of Fame Air Museum, in Chino, California, held its’ annual airshow. This year the crowd was estimated at 30,000 on Saturday and Sunday. I attended this year, after not attending for a few years. The day started out with the typical southern California coastal overcast, but by mid-morning the skies had cleared and we had an airshow! There were nearly 50 aircraft flying throughout the day, ranging from WWII aircraft to the F-22 Raptor, the newest tactical fighter in the Air Forces arsenal. Also performing was Clay Lacy’s Learjet Demonstration as well as Sean D. Tucker-Team Oracle Aerobatics. Many aircraft were on static display as well. When aircraft were not flying their aerial demonstrations, many of the veterans were recounting their courageous stories of war-time service to our country.
Honoring California’s Most Influential Aviators
On Saturday evening, April 25, 2015, I attended a Black Tie Optional dinner at the Santa Monica Airport, hosted by the Aero Club of Southern California (ACSC). The occasion was the 2nd Annual Induction Ceremony and Dinner Honoring California’s Most Influential Aviators, into the California Aviation Hall of Fame. It was a privilege to attend. There were probably 250 of us in attendance.
The four aviators who were inducted are; Mrs. Iris Critchell, Lt. Col. Fitzhugh “Fitz” Fulton, Jr., Robert J. Gilliland, and Burt Rutan. Each of these individuals has made significant contributions to aviation over the course of their long and illustrious careers.
Mrs. Iris Critchell is still going strong and is a spritely 95, and she is still a current pilot! She has the energy of someone much younger, a firm handshake and a sparkle in her eye! I had the distinct honor of meeting her after the dinner was over, but she has so many fans that I had to wait about 15 minutes before I had a chance to introduce myself.
Also, for this event, the Aero Club had commissioned a highly regarded aviation artist, Ms. Michelle Rouch, of Tucson, Arizona, an aviation enthusiast herself, to paint a mural of the inductees along with some of the aircraft they have flown. The painting was auctioned off during a silent auction during the dinner for $3,000.
I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and conversing with aviation legend and inductee Mr. Burt Rutan, along with his older brother Dick, both of whom are legendary and highly regarded among aviators.
It was an evening to remember. I am thrilled that I was able to attend.
Abnormal Situations
Do you know what an ‘abnormal’ situation is? It’s not an ‘emergency’; it is a situation in which there is a problem but it does not require ‘immediate’ action by the pilot. An engine failure would be considered as an emergency situation in normal category airplanes. But an electrical problem like an alternator or generator fault or failure would not be considered as an emergency.
Do you ever take out your Pilot Operating Handbook (POH), Airplane Flight Manual (AFM), or the Operating Manual (OM) … depending on what it’s called in your airplane, and look over the emergency and abnormal procedure checklists to review them? It is a good idea to do this once in a while, not just during a flight review.
Thomas Turner, in the March 25 issue of his eNewsletter, Mastery Flight Training, reports that there were 13 accidents over a 10 day period according to the FAA’s list of preliminary accident reports. All of these accidents took place on landing. The aircraft involved included the typical mix of piston single engine and light twins, with one Cessna Citation 2 in the mix. Several went off the end, and some lost control.
What is happening to pilots on touchdown and roll out that is resulting in these accidents? Do you fly ‘stabilized’ approaches, with a constant airspeed and constant rate of descent to the flare and landing? Or, are your approaches ‘un – stabilized’, with airspeed varying 10 knots or more during final approach? A stabilized approach is the goal. Stabilized approaches lead to better landings.
Fly safely!