Monday, June 27, 2011

Well, I'm not bored...!

Pilots!

First it was quiet, with nothing going on, June gloom, and generally peaceful around the ranch. We started painting, we started sprucing up the hangar and the line, and really, all was sweetness and light.

And now... well... we miss those times already! :)



Before we get into the drama -- first things first!

...Please join me in congratulating the newest Private Pilot in the world, one Dan H., who scored his wings in Cessna 63B with DPE Mark D!

Great job, Dan!!




And a few maintenance items:

61Q has her new headliner finally, after 2 false starts. I hear it is snazzy.

68U completed a 100hr

739 completed a 100hr. The new LED light we ordered was sold to someone else by the Scalawags at aircraft spruce. Our new one is on order for mid-July.

94M completed a 100hr.

63B is cruising.

17J put 4 hours on her new firewall, and it did great... however, there was a failure of the "nut behind the yoke" which has caused her removal from the schedule -- possibly permanently.

Bonanza 11N has had the CHT problem resolved with a spark plug and timing change.

...So, um, yeah. About our girl Julie.















...She's a taildragger conversion, but we dragged the wrong end! :)

Imagine yourself, out flying around on a cool spring day, cruising around the sights of the Grand Canyon and headed over to the four corners for some scenery. Majestic! It is time to land and stretch, and, armed with 7,200x100' of runway, you discover that there is a crosswind -- about 6-12 knots worth.

No sweat, you've trained for this, and it's time to toss down some ailerons, goofy-foot the rudder, and land wing down in style. However, over the threshold, things don't line up so good, and you're pointed at a tumbleweed instead of a giant number. Hmm, what now?

Do you:

1. Go around and try a different rudder input or slip technique?

2. Stay in ground effect and try to line up the nose at whatever cost?

3. Hunt and peck around the G1000 looking for the autoland button?

4. Go somewhere else?

A conundrum to be sure!

...

I bet you didn't even need to think about that one, didja? :)

Well, as I'm sure you know, #1 is always a great choice when things don't look right. Going around adds 6 minutes to your flight plan -- meaning, if you're in daytime with your minimum reserves, you have a MINIMUM of 5 extra chances before you get to do the bonus "engine out landing" practice (which, by the way, I'm confident you'll get right, however ugly the last 6 tries were -- adrenalin is amazing for levelling-up your skill game!)

So.. if it's no good, go around, try again!

Choice 2, not so good, but probably would've worked given the spread of runway acreage available. One could've probably cobbled together a passable landing, even if it wasn't a pretty landing. You might have S-turned, skidded, and bounced down the runway.. but hey, a landing is a landing, however hideous.

Or, maybe you'd prefer choice 3 -- you can look for that autoland button. Pro-tip: There is no autoland button. Ever. Even the big iron pilots keep their hands on the yoke when the autoland is running. If your plane had autoland it would be called a space taxi.

Number 4, of course, is always a winner -- pick a better-aligned runway for great justice and ego damage control. Easy!

...Sigh.

We are currently assessing the damage to our new and butter-soft ultraleather seats (which likely have the equivelant of 1,000 hours of "service" on them now), as well as some other sundry items which will need cleaning up -- such as everything forward of the main gear.

Since MikeA and the FlyC maintenance crew just completed $16k worth of upgrades to a heavy-duty firewall on Jules, they will all be accepting pity shots of tequila for the next few weeks. Look for the oily guys weeping on motorcycles in our hangar. They could use a "oh man, that really sucks" if you find the time. The team really did work hard, and "heavy duty" doesn't really cover maneuvers such as "planted the airplane like a tulip bulb" -- there is in fact no upgrade for that.

We are working with the insurance company right now, and Julie teeters on the edge of being a total loss. (current tally: $90,000 in estimated repairs -- and we haven't covered the G1000 or "structural issues" yet!) If she is totalled, we will consider replacing her with either a 2010 model 172SP, or a new Groundcatcher LSA.



(Oops -- I meant Skycatcher -- that was a total freudian slip ;) )

What we DO know, is that, hot off of the 630 incident, our insurance renewal is going to be... awkward. There will be some immediate changes to how we rent aircraft, particularly to foreign nationals (2 of whom are the masterminds on some of this year's fleet shuffle). I can say with confidence that:

1. Foreign-conversion and foreign-residenced renters will now be required to carry full renter's insurance prior to renting an aircraft. There is no excuse for our local clientele to bear the brunt of shoddy training found abroad. We won't tolerate it anymore.

2. Domestic renters who we have already met and who have flown with us -- you will be grandfathered, and there will likely be no change at this time -- you've already proven to us you can fly without attracting runaway hangars and dirt! :)

3. New renters and solo students may require the same renter's policy. We are arguing this point, however, because our students have NEVER had a claim or issue, and we believe our training remains top-notch. I believe we will prevail on this point.

As we work through our insurance, we will assess our aircraft rates and creative ideas we can employ to keep things "right" for everyone. As always, you know we will work our hardest to provide the best prices in SoCal, even if we find other places to tighten up in order to achieve it. FlyC will soldier on, and remain the happy, safe, excellent place to learn to fly. We just might tone down our international marketing for a bit. :)

Above all else, and all kidding aside -- we are very happy that the pilot and his 2 kids were unharmed in this very exciting landing. Aluminum can always be replaced, whereas people cannot. What is a bummer could have been a real tragedy, and we are grateful that it was not.

...Let's all take a moment and reflect on our personal landing standards, and our willingness to go around. 6 minutes is a great investment.

==

Woof.

Here are some other things I know about:

We did not win the Baron we were bidding for from Cessna's finance arm. We are a little bummed about that, but continue to hunt for a twin. We have secured use of a C310 and a Seneca II for training if needed. Inquire with the office if you'd like to get in on that.

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We have over 50 tickets in our raffle, and have added some juicy prizes to the prize pool! Nice!

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Carlos has masterminded a fly-out and BBQ for July 10th. I will collect some info and share it with you. It's probably on our facebook page!

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June Gloom appears to have departed, in favor of summer haze. Flying season is here! Woo hoo!



Blue Skies, straight landings!

- Mike

Friday, June 10, 2011

You need some more cheese in your life...

Pilots!

June Gloom! Yuck! You know what that means... we're busying ourselves in the office with silly projects.

First -- a BBQ and Hangar Movie Night!

Join us tomorrow evening, at 6:30pm, where we will be playing Firebirds! -- a Movie starring Nick Cage and Tommy Lee Jones. I have no idea what to expect, but it can't be worse than Stealth was.

We will be BBQing burgers and dogs and snacks and drinks -- on us! Definitely swing by if you don't have anything else going on, and hang out in our hangar, chock full of airplane stuff!



Next, we are repainting the office and re-doing the drywall in the back room -- since the flood did a number on our ceiling, and we're sick of asking the landlord about it.

Also, We have re-enabled the "Squawk Report" form -- found on the schedule when you login at the top. Feel free to feed us nuisances and things you dislike in the aircraft, however trivial -- we always struggle to learn about these things in a timely manner.



the new office layout... in our heads

I also know a few things about planes:

Cessna 61Q completed her 100hr.

Cessna 68U completed her 100hr.

Cessna 739 has a new landing light. This will be the LAST halogen bulb we install in 739 -- the new FAA-approved LEDs which are compatible with 739 come out on the 13th, and we'll be first in line.

Cessna 94M is cruising.

Cessna 63B has had a delay in her scheduled autopilot checkup. The A/P remains inop for now -- sorry pilots.

Cessna 17J flew today. She enjoys some new sheet metal and a new interior. The interior is butter soft and SO nice. A special thanks to friend of the school Chad M, who provided us his expertise with Cessna Citation Interiors, and allowed us to get something WAY better than the stock leather.

Bonanza 11N is cruising around in Phoenix.



We have the entire line crew either doing sun dances, or playing nickel slots at Pechanga.

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We are undergoing our annual insurance renewal, which is a big event for us. Expect checkout and rental procedures to be tweaked when we are done, and if we're lucky, no changes to pricing will ensue. :)

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That's everything I know.

Blue Skies... exist somewhere else. :P

See ya!

- Mike

Friday, June 03, 2011

Mud what?

Pilots!

As many of you already know, the Corona Airport is closed tomorrow morning to facilitate something called a "Mud Run" -- this is where a bunch of people pay good money to run in the mud. Apparently the attraction of this activity is so strong, that it presents a flight hazard, and so the city has closed the runway to all operations.

It's sponsored by K-FROG.

Anyway -- we are moving our planes to CHINO Airport for the day, at Threshold Aviation, so feel free to book some time -- they will be ready for you over there. We plan to bring them back throughout the afternoon.



I missed 3 different checkrides somehow. Let me attempt to make amends:

First, please join me in congratulating new US Private Pilot Andre P, who scored his wings recently. Well done, Andre!

Second, our own Nick K earned his Commercial Pilot license, and is now a man available for hire. Woo woo! Nice work, Nick!

Third, chasing on Nick's heels, our own Carlos C earned his Commercial Pilot license also! Carlos is now a man available for hire too -- well done, Carlos!



Here are a few other things I know:

Cessna 61Q has had some intercom work done.

Cessna 68U is out playing in San Francisco and the Grand Canyon.

Cessna 739 completed an oil change.

Cessna 94M has her GPS Database updated, and some other sundry fixes.

Cessna 63B is scheduled for some autopilot work. It is currently inoperative.

Cessna 17J is hanging her engine today. She may grace the line next week. Her new upholstery is "butter smooth", and really nice.

Bonanza 11N has a new starter.

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We have unexpectedly made an offer on a B55 Baron twin. This would be a joint-use aircraft between the flying club and the school for ME training, if we get it.



Our fishbowl has 50 tickets already! Thanks, Pilots! The prizes are starting to accumulate and are gaining in quality as well as quantity. :)

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Real nice weather abounds. Grab some (mud-free) sky!

Blue Skies!

- Mike