Woooooosh

Pilots!

How about this wind? If you close your eyes you can almost feel like you're in tahiti... right? hey, where's everybody going?

Forecasts seem to be indicating 70mph stuff tonight. Our planes have been chained down or hangared, ready to ride this business out. Fun!

When winds are forecast to exceed the stall speed of the aircraft, we tend not to dispatch them. Not that it wouldn't be fun to try landing in reverse.. you'd need to get the pitch juuuuuust right to prevent a somersault. We'll stay on the ground and indoors, thank you very much.



Would you believe I have nothing to write about in maintenanceland?

Ha, me neither -- but there's actually not much to report :) Here's what I know:

Cessna 630 is in for her 100hr next week sometime, then she is off on a monthlong tour of the country.

Cessna 68U is being refurbished.

Cessna 20U is cruising. We hear she may get a new PTT switch

Cessna 739 is stylish.

Cessna 1ES rocks the sky.

Cessna 17J is a diva.

Cessna 25R says "ribbit" and may get a new landing light.

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We have noticed a lot of all-day bookings coming up in the next few weeks. Please be advised that we reserve the right to charge a 3.5-hour per day minimum for all-day bookings -- you may always inquire with the office if you feel this is excessive for your particular trip - but you will need to discuss it with us first.

We like you to take our planes to exotic locales - but if you're going to spend the weekend in temecula and take a plane with you, we'd just as soon have you drive there :)

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Not much else to report. Anyone had breakfast at Bobby A's yet? Reports are all over the map at the moment, and I haven't made time myself.

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Empty Nest!

Pilots!

Maintenance has processed their backlog, finally. Here's what I know:

Cessna 630 is cruising. She is tentatively scheduled to leave on another epic tour in mid-november for 3 or 4 weeks. Get your flying in!

Cessna 20U has emerged from her annual today.

Cessna 68U is going to be revived in an extensive annual. No ETA is proposed at the moment.

Cessna 739 is cruising.

Cessna 1ES finished her 100hr yesterday.

Cessna 17J is currently under the knife, as Garmin and Cessna think they have the solution to our annoying transponder issues. She will be back this afternoon.

Cessna 25R is hummin along.

Whew!

Thanks to the maintenance crew for crankin out the workload. We look forward to the next bum-rush :)



In other news,

Some friends of the school are selling their aircraft and are taking advantage of the buyer's climate to upgrade. This means deals for you!

Alumnus and generally cool dude Ryan F. is selling his Mooney M20F, N5000F. You've probably heard "triple-zero-fox" around the pattern, as Ryan is a very active flyer.

This was a $110,000 plane last year -- Ryan is asking $79,900 for this 150kt 10gph IFR powerhouse. That's the same mileage as our 150! Mooney 00F sports 2 IFR GPSs (including the potent Garmin GNS480WAAS), dual-coupled S-tec 2-axis autopilot, leather, and is just a sweet ride.

More details available here: Mooney N5000F

Contact Ryan if you're interested in a Mooney ride.




We have gotten more details about what form a flying club would entail, and have some numbers roughed out in order to make it work. We will need 5 people per plane, a $500 refundable start-up deposit, $150/mo access, and possibly a 1-hour-per-month minimum flight commitment. The purpose is to keep the rental rate as low as possible, and open up access to more exotic planes than we can run on our own flightline. ($50/hr for the cherokee six, for instance)

As we add planes, club members will have access to the other stuff for no added charge! We are considering things such as T210s, Bonanzas, Saratogas, and maybe even some more fun things like Citabrias and even twins. Cool birds that our own insurance underwriters would punch us in the nose for even asking about! :)

We are ironing out access and gotcha scenarios, as we want this to be as smooth as possible for our first foray. Feel free to drop me a line if you're interested (if you haven't already -- I haven't forgotten ya if you've already emailed in :) )

...exciting times!

More as I know it!

Blue Skies!

- Mike

A New Blindfold!

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating the newest Instrument-rated Pilot in the world! One IFR-rated Alexander N., who flew with no eyes for DPE Mark D. at Chino, in Cessna 739.



Nice work, Alex!!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

New Wings!

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating the newest Private Pilot in the world, one Private Pilot Jake M.!

Jake scored his wings in Cessna 739 with DPE Mark D at Chino. Nice work, Jake!



==

In other news,

We have heard that there is a local examiner who has lowered his checkride fee to $400, $200 retake. Inquire with the office for details.



Those of you who expressed interest in the Cherokee Six -- I apologize for the lengthy time to reply -- we are still ironing out details.

It appears that we will need 5 people to commit, and the plane will be available for $50/hr dry (half of what it was before), however, there will be a monthly fee as well for access. Yes, we may have finally (after 5 years of trying) figured out the Flying Club game. More as I know it.

==

And some maintenance stuff:

Cessna 20U is down currently for 100hr, with an expected return of Tue/Wed.

Cessna 1ES will be down for her 100hr on Monday, with an expected return of Tue/Wed.

Cessna 17J's transponder will likely be removed next week for Garmin to look it over. Everyone locally is baffled.

Cessna 25R is cruising.

Good times!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Ground Corona!

Pilots!

When a plane hogs our hangar time, it causes all sorts of mess on the schedule and in the hangar. I apologize for the snafu, we are slogging through it as best we can!

Prima Donna 25R, not content with her new engine, prop, and prop governor, has also received some new interior plastics, seat upholstery (no more sheepskins), and some exciting sheet metal improvements.

25R has basically said this to everyone else:



Not nice, Romeo. Not nice at all. 25R is now finished with her 100hr, and will return tomorrow morning re-cowled and ready to be the Diva once more. Go on, girl.

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In some other news:

Cessna 630 has a new alternator, solving her charging issues, finally. She has been returned to the flightline.

Cessna 20U is in to get her 100hr done next week. She remains on a solo-only basis for the weekend.

Cessna 739 has a new clock. Faboo!

Cessna 1ES will probably be in tomorrow for her 100hr to return her to market by this weekend, with luck.

Cessna 17J's transponder issues are baffling the experts. We have Garmin and Cessna on the case, but no action just yet. Sorry, pilots. We're working on it.

We did manage to fix her strobes, however, which were reported as "acting the fool"



Up for some tasty burgers?

Catalina Island is having their 50th airport anniversary this Sunday, with a "retro" $3 landing fee.

I think in 1959, the average single-family home was $3, but we'll indulge them their fantasy.

There are tales of BBQ, Live music, and excellent prizes to be raffled. And you can wonder what Avalon is like with 5 in the pattern and a full tarmac. Woo woo! Bring wheel chocks (borrow some from our maintenance crew if you need to)

More info here: http://event.pingg.com/Airport50th



On that note, the current word on Bobby A's is:

Consistently AMAZING Salads
Great sandwiches
Service started rough but has been friendly since day one, and is improving steadily.
Even the "small" size is a good sized meal.

We are starting our survey of their Breakfast, which they are just getting into gear -- More as I know it. Feel free to chime in if you've taken the Bobby A plunge!

Did the chili hole even have lettuce? I don't remember.

==

Blue Skies, (hopefully, anyway...)

- Mike

What the heck?

Pilots!

Some maintenance faces being made this week, on top of glum weather. Here's what I know:

Cessna 630 is having charging issues, and is down for a new alternator.

Cessna 20U is on a solo-only basis until we get her in for 100hr.

Cessna 739 is flying just fine. Thanks, 739!

Cessna 25R is wrapping up her 100hr, with some upgrades to her interior plastics and upholstery. They have taken longer than expected, but we look forward to the final result.

Cessna 1ES is on a solo-only basis, and will be next to 100hr. We expect it to be a brief visit.

Cessna 17J is annoying us with intermittent transponder shenanigans. We will reset the transponder once we find the G1000's Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys. :)

...what a mess! We'll be through it soon.

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More as I know it!

- Mike

New Solo!

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating soon-to-be Private Pilot Andrew H., who soloed for the first time today, in Cessna 630!



Nice job, Andrew!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

New Wings!

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating the newest U.S. Private Pilot in the world, one Pilot Cassey A., who earned his wings in Cessna 1ES and DPE Mark DiLullo!

Way to go, Cassey!



In some other news:

Cessna 25R is in for 100hr this week, we anticipate it to go quickly.

Cessna 1ES is coming up for 100hr this week. We are eyeing 1ES's motor with suspicion, and she will likely be going in for a new engine in the next few hundred hours.

Cessna 20U will be going in for 100hr sometime this week.

Cessna 630 is humming along. Thanks, 630!

Cessna 68U has the month off. We are likely to idle her from the schedule until we decide her fate.

Cessna 739 emerged from her monster Annual, victoriously. We were amazed that it took 2 days to get the new panel plastics in, but they look spiffy.

Cessna 17J is rocking.

Piper 85Y may be off to Canada to start a new life in the frozen north. If you are interested in a pro-rata flight, please get in touch with me. I would anticipate a minimum of 15 hours is available, and the split would run $80/hr, which will be pure PIC or Dual, at your option. You will need your MEL license already, as it is a very long way to Canada on one engine :)




Did anyone win anything at the Spruce Supersale?



Santa Anas are lurking -- check AWSS before launching -- tailwind takeoffs are only exceeded in excitement by tailwheel landings. Yikes!

Blue Skies, (cool weather! woo woo!)

- Mike