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
