Maintenance Face..

Pilots!

Some quick updates around the ranch. Yesterday was not boring. :)

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Cessna 630 is down for a tail strike. Repair time TBD, but we are assessing. There may also be seat cushion damage from the exciting landing last night. (everyone is okay, of course, but it looked interesting from the ground)

Cessna 68U is touring the USA

Cessna 739 has a new seat roll-pin.

Cessna 17J is on her way home from New York.

Skylane 073 was pulled down to investigate some oil contamination. We will have a solution here shortly - our engine guru is on the case.

Bonanza 11N is in Longview, TX, pondering the Osh trip.

--

Elian has a new eye, after learning that needle-nosed pliers bite. Ouch!



We have decided to cancel tomorrow evening's Hangar Poker game, since we have people all over the place, and really, the whole thing was a clever ruse to de-smug Elian anyway, which the pliers took care of for us :)

(just kidding, Elian)

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As you know, many of us are departing for next week in Osh Kosh, so the office will be working on reduced strength. Please be nice to them, and any complicated matters can be handled on our return the following Friday.




More as I know it!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Blindfold Squadron!

Pilots!

No shortage of things going on in the last week... here's what I know:

First, some new wings to report:

Please join me in congratulating THREE new IFR pilots this week! Oh my!



First, Mohammed P. earned his blindfold in Cessna 739 with DPE Tom Hamm!

Second, Mike F. earned his blindfold in Cessna 739 with DPE Mark DiLullo!

and lastly, Todd S. earned his blindfold in Cessna 739 with DPE Tom Hamm!

Look out world, the pro pilots are on their way!

Tremendous work, gentlemen! Way to go!



In maintenanceland:

Cessna 630 has a new exhaust valve. Hers had become stuck, as evidenced by bad mag drops and an exhaust note more appropriate for a Chevy Nova.

Cessna 68U is headed to Seattle. She'll be back in 2 weeks. Bon Journee' 68U!

Cessna 739 completed a surprise 100 hour inspection. I guess when all the 172s are out playing elsewhere, this is bound to happen. We got her done pit-stop style.

Cessna 17J is enroute New York. She'll be back also in 2 weeks.

Skylane 073 has been used for more and more demos of late, to alleviate the schedule pressures. We changed her oil today.

Bonanza 11N is cruising to Texas.



We are in talks with about 12 or 13 aircraft sellers, some of them entertaining in their omission of key details. This stuff takes time, and we're in the mode of having to verify the candidates have both wings attached, in addition to our usual rigor on prepurchase inspections.. We're on the case, I promise. Ideally we will add 2 aircraft for summer ASAP.

...we are even considering a Warrior or Archer just to mix it up. (shh, don't tell)

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As a result of the jam-packed schedule, we reserve the right to cancel a flight booking which you are over 1 hour late to. Please tighten up the bookings if you can.

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Marlon, Kira, and Ricardo left this morning enroute Osh Kosh. They are taking a "scenic" stroll through Longview, TX. Marlon will be out of pocket for 2 weeks, as will Bonanza 11N. Our troupe will leave next week and rendezvous with them next Sunday for a baby formation arrival.

Darwin, Richard, Shahid and I join them next week in my V-tail Bonanza.



It's HOT, and suddenly. While I can't say I miss the fog, I wasn't really prepared for 95F this soon either. Remember to bring cool water with you on your flights -- ask the office, any linemen, or raid our fridge in the back liberally. Heatstroke makes a poor learning environment!!

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Blue Skies, Stay COOL up there!

- Mike

Mines Biggern Yourn

Pilots!

TFRs are in the neighborhood! Check out LAX, SMO, VNY and other small airports:



http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_0_0439.html

and another one at Las Vegas



http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_0_0095.html

Both are "VIP" TFRs, which means that the FAA will not be amused if you pull a "dude, my bad" and blunder through -- but from looking at those pictures... I think we know that there's only one real VIP flying around tomorrow -- in Vegas. :)

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In other news:

Join us tonight for burgers and a movie in the hangar if you like -- 7pm, "Stealth" is the movie. Hangar One, nearest the school.

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We are working on the plane crunch, I promise. :)

Everything is flying A-OK at the moment. Suspicious!

More as I know it.

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Runway crossing..

Pilots!

The FAA has rolled out some new common-sense procedures for crossing runways, and you should be ready for them!

Here's a scenario:

You landed 26R at Chino and have turned off at Kilo. Pretty normal day at the landing patch. Ground control tells you "Taxi to runway 26R via Kilo, Alpha"

...this normally would have cleared you "automatically" across runways 3/21. Not anymore.

Take a look:



The new procedure will be that for EVERY runway crossing on an aircraft's taxi path, you will hear "cleared across runway 3/21". If you have not heard that, STOP and ask for clarification.

Master CFI Ron Levy put together a nice powerpoint presentation which clarifies the new rules. Google doesn't let me link to a Powerpoint for security reasons, but you can copy-and-paste this into your browser:

http://www.flycorona.com/New%20Taxi%20Clearance%20Rules.pps

...as always, when the pilot makes a mistake, his life is on the line.. and when a controller makes a mistake.. the pilot's life is on the line. Get the clearance or get clarification. This rule went into effect yesterday.



Some maintenance news:

Cessna 630 is out cruising around

Cessna 68U has a new nav/com2. Her VOT was completed and she is even IFR legal.

Cessna 739 is not bothering anyone.

Cessna 17J has completed a detailed 100hr.

Cessna 25R is awaiting insurance decisions on how to proceed. We will have answers in a week or two.

Bonanza 11N completed her extensive Annual. She is now de-squawked... except for the GPS, which we are still investigating.

Skylane 073 continues to rock.



We are in a schedule crunch! Much of our capital is tied up with new projects, and we have a set of planes touring the country next month, putting us in a precarious position.

While we do not normally do this, we are considering the idea of taking aircraft in on leaseback. The timing is actually very good, since we have more flying to do than planes to fly. Additionally, there are a lot of planes on the market which are fetching record low prices, and the federal tax credits are still in play for new aircraft.

...and we can help you make a cash-positive investment in any of these arenas. Check out our new Leaseback page. This might be an opportunity for us to buy you an airplane!



Movie night in the hangar! Join us at 7pm for a screening of... Stealth. I've never seen it, it might be terrible, but you'll be in our maintenance hangar, breathing in airplanes and in the company of pilots. Bobby A's has offered to cater the event. Come join us for some hangar lies! :)

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That's all I know at the moment.

Blue Skies!

- Mike