Friday, September 28, 2007

Quiet and gloomy

Pilots,

Not much going on around the ranch lately... and some icky weather is here today. Let's hope it doesn't last.



Cessna 68U completed her early 100hr.

Piper 85Y is undergoing her 100hr.

Cessna 08V will be down for Annual on monday.

Otherwise, business as usual. The IFR kids are having all the fun! :)

Cheers,

- Mike

Friday, September 21, 2007

Farewell, Shannon!

Pilots,

This is a somber day at the FlyC ranch, for our beloved CFI/CFII/MEI Shannon C. has left us in pursuit of a higher challenge.

Apparently all of his attempts to squeeze between mock red-barons, flights of 5, taxiway and grass landings, nordo, cutoffs, acrobatics, and all the other hullabaloo that is a Saturday morning at Corona - have taken their toll. Yes, CFI Shannon has demanded a cannon on his next set of wings.



A large cannon. Shannon will be destined to fly the A-10 Warthog, a machine designed to convert opposing tanks into confetti, and opposing livestock into a shower of jerky bits, all at the twitch of his finger.



.......oh yeah, let's give THIS guy a gun!



Best wishes, Shannon -- save us some teriyaki style! :)

==

CFI Spencer has expanded his hours to help fill the gap. Roman, Alex, Chris, and Dave also stand ready to keep the flightline going. Please contact the office if you were a Shannon student, and we can pair you up with a worthy replacement.

==

Cessna 04H, we believe, has finally had her electrics figured out. Cross fingers.

Cessna 1ES completed her 100hr.

Piper 85Y has completed an "IFR checkup" to make sure she's in prime form for cloud-busting, also to adjust an odd sidetone on her radios.

==

Rain is expected this weekend. I've noticed that every CFI has taken Saturday off, so it should be quiet around the ranch.

Also, in what I am told is a pure coincidence, the Red Bull Air Races are also going on this weekend in San Diego. Worth a look!



Blue Skies, upright Cessnas (please) !

- Mike

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Ninja pilots...

All,

Please join me in congratulating, belatedly, new U.S. Private Pilot Jordan W., who, undaunted by 1ES's 100hr-in-progress, promptly commandeered his own 172R and rode to glory with DPE Tom Hamm this past weekend. Now that's a piloting mindset!

Nice work, Jordan!



In other news,

20U's new cylinder is back, awaiting installation and flight testing.

17J has completed her 100hr inspection.

08V is due next, be ready for some downtime imminently.

--

Wonderful weather abounds.. This is the good flying. :)

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Sunday, September 09, 2007

200hr

Pilots,

Some maintenance updates around the aerodrome:

Cessna 20U is down for 100hr, and we discovered low compression on one of her new engine's cylinders. We expect downtime through tuesday or wednesday while we order a replacement.

Cessna 1ES is down for 100hr. We hope to have her back online sometime today.

Cessna 04H is still restricted from night flights while we search for the source of an electrical short, and we anticipate full functionality soon.



The weather is nice again. Grab some air!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Monday, September 03, 2007

41C !?

Pilots,

Some things even a misty mate cannot fix -- this is a nasty heatwave. Please stay cool, bring water on EVERY flight, and if possible, climb high or go west :)



--

We are troubleshooting an electrical issue in Cessna 04H. She has been grounded from night flight until we pinpoint it.

Piper 85Y has her hobbs meter repaired. Sorry. :)

--



Business as usual around the ranch otherwise. Blue Skies!

- Mike