Thursday, May 24, 2007

New pilot, new wings!

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating U.S. Private Pilot Darren B. who earned his wings yesterday in Cessna 08V and with DPE Tom Hamm.

Nice job, Darren!

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In other news, our beloved green machine, Cessna 04H is wrapping up her test-flight regime today, and will return to full service sporting her new upgrades, effective tomorrow!

The word is that the increased power is noticeable, paying dividends in climb and cruise.

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We are seeking a Cessna 182 for the flightline, preferably on a leaseback basis. Inquire with the office if you would like to invest in a C182 and let the XC fliers pay for your flying!



Blue Skies!

- Mike

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Where Corona?

Pilots!

Our internet host had a service interruption today, affecting many of you. My apologies for a fairly long downtime -- things are apparently taken care of.

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In other news...

Cessna 04H is being wrapped up, with expected return to service this week or next.

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Congratulations to our own CFI Shannon on his successful completion of CFII/MEI ratings! Shannon is now ready to help those who want to move into instrument ratings or MEL ratings!

Nice work, Shannon!



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Additional Congratulations to friend-of-FlyC Donny C. who landed himself 3 stripes and a snazzy hat in his new job as First Officer, flying the Embraer CRJ!


I believe I speak for everyone when I say that there is nobody who has been determined in his pursuit of this goal, and nobody more carefree or upbeat, throughout all of the trials that he endured. Nobody deserves his stripes more than Donny does, and I know he will be an asset to every organization he flies for.

Blue Skies, Donny!




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Haze and nonsense have socked the coastal areas in a hideous murk -- but Corona remains flyable.. if not exactly scenic. Flying abounds!

See ya up there!

- Mike

Monday, May 14, 2007

Solo Solo

Pilots,

We've been hearing some grumbles* around the ranch about folks who want to take 85Y on solo trips, who are not CFI rated. As we've mentioned to a few of you, the Twin is insured for instruction and solo time-building for CFIs only. We went this route because:

A. It was what was offered to us by our commercial carrier (apparently this is normal for flight schools to do)
B. We really didn't think anyone would want to rent a twin for solo XC pleasure cruises. We got the plane for the CFIs to time-build, and to provide a platform for getting complex/retract, CPL, CFI, and ATP ratings. The fact that it's a stable and comfortable cruiser was just an afterthought.



My apologies to those who felt burned -- it was not our intention! We have a solution which we are actively working on.

Pilots wanting to SOLO the Twin, and who are not CFI rated will be added (named) to a second insurance policy. We are getting this quote now, but we would expect the cost to be < $800/yr per pilot. This is cheaper than renters insurance (~$1100).

Pilots wishing to solo the twin who are not CFI and who do not wish to be named on our insurance policy will need to meet the OPEN pilot warranty on our policy (minimums to be determined), and will be required to obtain their own renters insurance policy (ie, using one they may already have)



Regardless, those who are interested may feel free to contact me to see what the numbers wind up being. In all circumstances, insurance will likely impose a 25-hour dual requirement prior to solo with passengers -- the PA30 is a very different animal from a C172, but we'll figure out the way to get it done properly.

Stay Tuned,

- Mike

* - plus one additional comment a CFI described as "the meanest remark I've heard since I've been at Fly Corona" -- wow. Double apologies to the one who felt THAT jilted by an airplane. :(

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Hip to be Square

Pilots,

It's official! From the words of Cessna themselves:

Last month marked the end of an era for Cessna production aircraft – the last NAV II airplane with traditional flight instruments went out the door at Independence. Cessna will no longer deliver aircraft with traditional vacuum and electric "steam gauges" as primary flight instruments.

For most of us who learned to fly using traditional instruments, we consider this the passage of an epoch. While no one can argue the obvious advantages of the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit, all NAV I & II planes are gone with the delivery of Skyhawk serial 10427 on April 17.




It has been impossible to order a new Cessna with round gauges since last year, which is the main reason we invested in Julie, but it's interesting to ponder the demise of the round gauge at the manufacturing level...



Given that the 1950s vintage planes are just now starting to fall off of the resale market, I'm betting round gauges will still be with us for some time.

In other news...

Cessna 04H's engine is back from the wizards at Corona Cylinder, and my goodness she's shiny. Installation and flight testing will continue through to next week, and here are some of the upgrades we have invested in:

Millenium Cylinders, to run cooler
160 horsepower upgrade (from 150) for better climb and overall performance
Oil Filter mod for longer engine life

It's hard to imagine that the first Cessna 172 which came with a factory oil filter was in 1997! Aviation moves oh-so-slow sometimes. (what a fine contrast to the above :) )

Nice weather abounds, if a bit warm -- but the winds have ebbed for the time being, so rodeo rider aspirers will likely need to wait again for next spring. The rest of us will enjoy our calm air.

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Monday, May 07, 2007

...because Palm Springs sucks...

(just kidding)

Pilots!

We seem to have a sequel of the Santa Ana winds afoot, which is causing havoc in the schedule, and made a mockery of our "perfect to fly" weekend.

The winds are supposed to ebb tomorrow and disappear by Wednesday -- until then, we can only stare skyward after a few attempts at "aerial rodeo"

We are using this opportunity to catch up on some hangar and plane maintenance. We may be closing the office periodically since nobody is flying -- after-hours flight procedures will apply, and of course, feel free to contact your CFI directly for flight planning.



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In other news -- as mentioned, Cessna 68U has an alternator now, and starts have been reported as "brisk" -- a great thing. Also note, though, that there is an alternator SWITCH which must be in the "on" position. Most people leave it there, some have not (and caused some excitement for pilots about 2 hours into their battery-less flight) -- add it to your checklist if you'd like the juice to keep flowing. :)

Blue Skies!

- Mike