Friday, April 28, 2006

March (AFB) Madness!

Pilots!

TFR Time again. This time the risk is not so much the Secret Service, but rather, the aerial machinations of the USAF Thunderbirds! The most excellent March AFB Airshow is in town this weekend, and if you do not wish to race the Air Force's top pilots, have a look at the TFR depiction below.


The normal outer ring of March AFB Class C airspace to the east of Lake Matthews also defines the boundaries of the TFR -- however, the airspace dimensions are SFC/17000, so definitely steer clear of the entire airspace.

Weather has killed a number of flights -- apologies to those students who have been most affected. There is an old adage which says "it's better to be on the ground wishing you were flying, than to be flying wishing you were on the ground" -- a cloud would certainly do that to ya.

Let me know if you have concerns about our weather cancellations -- there have been a few folks feeling unduly hassled by it.

Best,

- Mike

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

But... we don't even burn ethanol!

Hi Gang!

Congrats to all for not getting intercepted this weekend! :)

Some things going on:

1. Fuel is on the rise (in case you haven't noticed) -- even though this Ethanol nonsense does not affect 100LL formulation, Chevron's prices are up 20 cents this week. This will translate into an increased surcharge.. again. Volatile fuel prices affect everyone, but hits aviators particularly hard, since we use a lot of power!

2. We have an online squawk report sheet! It's ugly, but it's quite functional.. link it from "Squawks" on the main page. These are hugely helpful, and now feed directly into our A&P database - definitely add your aircraft gripes -- and I've even allowed anonymous reporting, so sock it to us! :)

3. Our leaseback 172 slots are not being taken, and our 172s are still slammed -- so we'll be acquiring the planes ourselves. Let me know if you are aware of any M-model or newer 172s that are for sale!

4. We have a tremendous number of ideas for expanding FlyC, but we're conservative, and refuse to jeopardize our core business - that of making pilots. Because of this, we can only pursue a limited number of opportunities at once -- so at this time, we are considering an equity partner/investor in FlyC, in order to grow the business a bit faster without threatening the school. The level of involvement is flexible, and if you're interested in an incredibly unique investment opportunity, and working with the only non-shady people in this industry (ha ha, just kidding -- mostly) -- drop me a line at mike@flycorona.com

Great weather abounds... fly safe!

- Mike

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Presidential TFR in effect!

Pilots!

There is no surer way to end a piloting career than paying a visit to airspace owned by the President without an invitation. Today through Monday there are 2 major TFRs in effect - Palm Springs and John Wayne. We understand that invitations are in very short supply, so aviators, pay attention!



Fly Corona! will be grounded on Monday from morning opening until 11:05am for TFR compliance. Palm Springs is off-limits for the next 3 days, so flights to the Vegas area should use the Borrego pass or Cajon. (with care) - and NOT the Palm Springs TRSA. The blue ring above depicts the off-limits airspace, and anyone heading East should proceed with extreme caution.


Imagine the sheer joy for any aviator watching an explosive flare suddenly detonate 20 feet off of the nose of his Cessna, a care package sent by the 2 F-16s dispatched to discuss who owns the airspace surrounding the Leader of the Free World. As Goose and Maverick suggest your new landing place, a nearby Colonel will be calling everyone at the airport personally to arrange your immediate detainment, while the local police and a number of black suburbuans rush to greet you on the tarmac.. with complimentary steel bracelets.


Fanciful, perhaps, but this time, we aren't making this stuff up -- it happened last year before our very eyes here at Corona. (and we got to speak with the charming Colonel -- who it turns out did not have a strong sense of humor about our refusal to detain a fellow pilot) The bungling pilot was not one of ours, but then, he's not anybody's anymore. That guy is done flying. Don't follow in his footsteps.


Calling Flight Service is not just to learn about clouds and dewpoints - a standard briefing will include advance notice of any such TFRs or NOTAMs in the area, and will keep you out of any unusual trouble. 3 minutes on the phone can save your ticket.

Fly Safe!

- Mike

Friday, April 21, 2006

New goings-on...

Whew, things are super busy, and I apologize for the lack of news :) Here is a quick rundown on what's going on in Fly Corona this week:

We have hired a new A&P to assist with maintenance, Sean. Look for Sean and Walsh to be getting our planes into shape.

We have hired a new part-time CFI, Spencer. Spencer will be working Fri, Sat, and Sun to assist with our weekend load. Spencer will be starting on the 24th, so definitely book him for a demo flight if you'd like to try him out.

We are currently in the process of hiring one additional fulltime CFI to take the strain off of Robert and Jeremy.

We are actively seeking 2 additional C172s for the fleet. Our current skyhawks are slammed, and most maintenance is being done at night on 172s, for lack of any other time available.

I will be posting an online "squawk sheet" in the near future to help us track bugs with the planes. Currently, squawks are getting lost between the office and the maintenance crew, and I'm rather unhappy about this. Look for us to get our act together regarding squawks very soon.

Cessna 08V has been pulled down to unfoul plugs and verify ignition timing. Apparently she was flying on some very cruddy plugs -- there is a news post about leaning technique in the archives if you're interested in how you can avoid flying on fewer cylinders than you expected! :) ... regardless, look for 08V to return to duty very shortly.

Cessna 72F continues the slow march to readiness, as her keystart conversion is taking a ridiculously long time to achieve.

Cherokee 08F has a new prop, but it will need to be repitched, as it is currently in "supercruise" setting. This process should not take long.

The Skyhawks are plugging along. We will be starting a "phased refurbishment" of Cessna 68U, and when the online squawk box is active, I encourage bug reports from all of our pilots to help us in this process. 68U is a strong bird with an excellent climb prop, but her cosmetics are leaving much to be desired -- and finding new panel plastic is apparently akin to searching for godot. We continue the hunt, and will make her look decent again soon.

We are working on a partnership option for our students to buy "timeshares" of some nice planes, and not be ruined by aircraft operating expenses. I've been working actively on write-ups for the 10 or so "best picks for low-time pilots". I'll be unveiling this as soon as we have the numbers figured out and the insurance costs in play. We're deciding between straight partnerships, a flying club (ie everyone gets access to every plane), or a hybrid between the two. Comments welcomed.

For those curious, my short list of "good planes to own for a low-time pilot" are:
(in order of capability)

(easy to fly, 2 seats)
Cessna 150
Beech 77 Skipper
Grumman AA-1 Yankee
Diamond Katana

(easy to fly, 4 seats)
Piper Cherokee/Warrior
Cessna 172 Skyhawk
Piper Archer
Beech Sundowner
Grumman AA-5 Tiger
Diamond Star
Cirrus SR20

(advanced, but not too daunting to learn)
Mooney M20
Cessna 182 Skylane
Piper Dakota
Beech Bonanza

(really advanced, but still not too bad to learn learn - 3 of these are 6-seaters)
Piper Cherokee Six
Cessna 206/210
Beech Bonanza A36
Cirrus SR22

I've ordered 5 additional copies of "Aviation Consumer's Used Aircraft Guide" for the lending library, since this is an excellent book on the wide variety of planes out there, and will narrow down any buying decisions you may be considering in light single and twin aircraft.

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Spring Shuffles...

Hi Gang -- there hasn't been much to report as of late, but suddenly, there is a lot!

First, congratulations to Keith A. for passing his FAA Commercial Checkride! Perhaps Keith's Air Taxi will be in service -- look for that soon.

Second, we have hired an additional Instructor, Spencer. Spencer is a CFI/CFII/MEI and comes to us from ATP. He will initially be working Fri, Sat, and Sun -- with intent to ramp to fulltime. We are looking for one additional CFI/CFII at the moment.

Third, Fuel prices are on the rise again!! Despite our best hopes, it looks like 100LL is on its way to $4/gallon, which is terrible. Our prices are geared for $3/gallon, which means we are likely to be adjusting fuel surcharges soon. At $4/gallon, our surcharge will need to become $10/hr for 4-seaters, and $6/hr for 2-seaters.

We are toying with the idea of a permanent price hike to eliminate these pesky surcharges, and simply include $4 fuel into our rates. Look for a total price restructuring soon.

The weather is fantastic lately, and it's nice to see some actual weather nearby.

Happy Flying!

- Mike