It has been a little slow, news-wise, but now I have a bunch to share, to wit:
For those of you who are familiar with Newtonian Physics -- you may recall that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Ponder then, the amount of air that your propeller displaces in order to get a 2,000+ pound chunk of aluminum moving while taxiing -- quite a bit, eh?
Imagine if you were standing behind that propeller, which displaced that much air (and sand and rocks) -- oh no!
Apparently a few folks have started up their aircraft from the tiedown line, and launched a mini-tornado into the hangars behind, including our own maintenance hangars. Newton will tell us that the opposite force will be in the form of mechanics throwing wrenches and colorful language at you, about 400 ft-lbs worth.
In order to maintain the peace, and our wrenches and aircraft condition, please pull the aircraft out and turn it 90 degrees onto the taxiway before startup, and please be mindful of where you point your airplane's tail when you throttle up. We thank you.
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In other news,
Cessna 630 has a new alternator.
Cessna 68U completed her monster annual. Thank you for your patience.
Cessna 20U is humming right along.
Cessna 04H is having her nosebowl painted today and tomorrow. Also her Com1 will be peeked at for misbehaviour.
Cessna 1ES has completed her 100hr.
Cessna 17J is having a wiring "crackle" investigated in her wiring.
Cessna 25R will have her Com1 faceplate replaced.
Piper 85Y has had her complete fuel system rewired from scratch, to include new boost switches, tip tank switches, solenoid wiring, gauges, and fuel selector plumbing. We anticipate being out of these doldrums soon.
As you know, we do not like to bump anyone from flying -- however, there are some cases where it is unavoidable. If the aircraft has a maintenance issue, of course we will not dispatch the aircraft. There is one other situation where we will bump students, however, and that is for a scheduled checkride. Examiners are busy people, and so to facilitate a ride, we will move folks out of the way for a scheduled date. We apologize for any inconvenience, but rest assured, when you need it, we will be ready to do so for you as well.
We appreciate your understanding.
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The Corona Pilot's Association is hosting a Hangar-to-Hangar Poker Run, which benefits the CPA Scholarship fund. There are Prizes, games, and BBQ for everyone to enjoy next saturday, November 22nd.
My understanding is that you may visit aircraft hangars on the field and obtain a card, as well as meet some of your fellow aviators on the field -- construct a winning hand, and win a cool aviation prize! All proceeds will be used to sponsor young aviators in their pilot training, an excellent cause! The suggested donation is $5 per hand.
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We get asked periodically if folks want to share flights. We generally know who these people are, but rather than brokering everyone's information, we will be making a binder, whereby you may place your phone number or email, and advertise yourself as available to share flight time. This may be for time building, safety pilotage, or just looking to fly somewhere new. Please inquire with the office if you're interested in being on our list.
Now that our fleet has increased in size, it is a fairly regular occurrence that we are maintaining some sort of aircraft, be it routine like an oil change, 100-hour inspection, or annual inspection, or less than routine, such as anything 85Y dishes out. There is truly no better way to learn about aircraft systems than to participate in the teardown and inspection of one of our aircraft. We will even pay you $8/hr in flight time for helping us with the mundane chores. Please add your name to the list (same place as the flight-share list) if you're interested in helping out one day.
Typical maintenance schedules are:
Tuesday all day
Wednesday - Friday after 5pm
Saturday all day
Other times as needed.
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Strange winds and weather last weekend and last night. The forecast is looking excellent for the upcoming week or so. With fuel prices dropping (and ours are set to fall significantly this week!), it's a great time for some air therapy. Hope to see you there!
Blue Skies!
- Mike
