Fly Corona! TalkBack

changes are happening....

2012-01-19T21:29:00.000-08:00

So many changes going on here at Fly C and I also heard that there is rain and colder weather in the forecast. Time to bundle up and find that umbrella! If you need something warm to wear, stop by our new pilot shop in the office, we now have windbreakers and warm hoodies!

If you plan on flying over the weekend, please do a thorough preflight and check the freezing and icing levels. Also, there is a TFR up for the 19th over LA Area for some VIP movement. Is Obama coming to town? Must be nice to have a TFR up when you fly.

Other changes that are currently happening at Fly C.
1. we have done some remodeling and have expanded our pilot supply shop and added to our coffee bar. A big cudos to Estela who inspired the change and a big thank you to Kate who assisted her.
2. we have added a twin comanche to the fleet and it is ready to take on all multi engine students and renters.
3. we are getting closer to completing our 141 application, we anticipate this to be done in the next few weeks. We are really excited to finally complete this requirement. Next on the list is the VA approval and SEVIS requirements for our friendly foreign students.

On a safety note, Air Safety is having a great seminar, the flyer is posted below: I am going to try to make it to the one in Ontario, hope to see you all there! Let me know if you want to car pool.

Air Safety Institute Seminar Series

Don't miss out on this!

Monday, January 23, 2012
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Mission Valley Resort
875 Hotel Circle South
San Diego, CA 92108

Tuesday, January 24, 2012
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Hilton Costa Mesa
3050 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Attendees will need to pay $5.00 for parking.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Doubletree Hotel Ontario
222 North Vineyard Avenue
Ontario, CA 91764

No RSVP Required

For more information on seminar locations and dates, visit us at www.airsafetyinstitute.org/seminars

Join us for our new FREE
safety seminar
Wanted: Alive!
Reining in the
Fatal Accident Rate

The general aviation accident rate is not dropping, and pilots continue to find themselves in the same accident-causing scenarios that have been plaguing them for years.

Be part of the safety conversation as the Air Safety Institute digs a little deeper into what's causing pilot-related accidents. Join us as we discuss the top pilot-related accident categories, why they are what they are, and how you can avoid falling into them!

AmSafe, the world's largest producer of seatbelt airbag systems, is a proud sponsor of the Air Safety Institute.

		Please make sure to fill out your registration card at your seminar location. Each completed registration card will be eligible to win this FREE BrightLine Pilot Flight Bag. Perfect height for all your navigation charts! Bag Dimensions: 13"tall x 10" wide x 9" deep

We are always looking for great stories and pictures to add to the newsletter, please send your submissions to Kate at the office :fly@flycorona.com

Here are the maintenance updates for the week.

61Q - is up in the air, will look into the sparatic numbers on the transponder. If there are any issues, please report them to the office.
739 - is flying strong
68U - is still a workhorse
94M - is up in the air
17J - will go in for an oil change Friday morning, should only be down for 3 hours or so, then ready for another 50
182 - is lovin life and enjoying all the flights and attention
0DA - is the new twin, the staff has affectionatly called her "YODA"

That is it for now, come on by and grab some blue skies when you can, if not, the coffee bar is always open!

-- Kevin

Whew.. what a week it has been!

2012-01-12T21:30:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all our friends of Fly C! 2012 has started off on a very fast pace, I can't believe that we are already 10 days into the new year! As some of you may have noticed, we have been doing some remodeling around the ranch, so far, the most exciting improvement has been the popcorn machine!
Our newsletter has been printed and ready for viewing, you can pick up your copy at the office, the website will be updated in the next few days.

We also have a few new CFI's in the house.... We wanted to welcome Asa and Kim to the Fly C team. Asa has been with us since December and Kim joined us last week. Stop by the office and say "Hello" to them and why not book a flight or hang out and have some great airplane talk!

We also secured a multi engine aircraft and we are now offering the 2 day weekend multi engine course! The aircraft is a Piper Seminole and you will be given all the course study material a week or two prior to your scheduled course. Please call the office for more information.

We finally have secured our in-house financing! Everything is ready to go, we have the applications at the office. We are offering a 0% for 12 months interest deferral plan and interest rates as low as 8.9% oac. This would be a great time to get that awesome IFR ticket and get ready for that nice IFR spring weather that we are anticipating! IFR packages start at the discounted price of $4,500, or $130 per month for 48 months oac.

Speaking of the IFR course, if you sign up from now till the end of January, we will include your King Schools IFR kit, That is a savings of $329!

As some of you may have noticed, but ole faithul 63B was pulled of the flight line and is up for sale by the owner.... We will all miss her, but I can tell you that we are working on either purchasing her back or finding a nice replacement, so keep watching the blog or our facebook page for more details.

So, here is what happenings in maintenanceland.....

61Q had its transponder fixed, so now SOCAL can see us...
739 is running strong
68U still needs a landing light, but flying great
94M is flying high these days
17J is getting the avionics updated in Long Beach
182 had the RNav fixed and is cruising strong!

I told you we were busy the past few weeks.... never a dull moment at the ranch, stop in if you are in the area, grab some nice blue sky, checkout the new Debonair and we have also done some redecorating in the office and added the ever popular popcorn machine!

-- Kevin

busy, busy, busy.......

2011-12-23T19:03:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a great few weeks here at Fly C. First off, I wanted to send shout out to our newest Pilots.... Dave C who aced his checkride with DPE Andrea, Jason Cooper who earned his wings with DPE Mark, Andy A who sailed through the checkride with DPE Andrea and Jake Westhall who braved the windy conditions and walked away with his wings with DPE Andrea. Congrats to all of you, it is a great accomplishment!

Other exciting news this week, the Debonair is now here and is now ready to take on all pilots! She sports a 260 HP engine, nice paint, very nice interior, stormscope and other nice upgrades. Come and check her out, she is absolutely gorgeous and flies like a dream.

We will be bringing back Wingfleet flying club with lower monthly dues, lower deposit and new checkout requirements. Details to come next week, check back at the blog, facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/#!/FlyCorona ), or the website: www.flycorona.com for updates.

What's happening in maintenanceland......
68U is in for a 100 hr inspection, should be available on Jan 2
739 is flying
94M will have the GPS updated and ready to navigate you on those GPS approaches for IFR flying.
61Q is running strong
63B had its transponder checked and all is good
17J is still waiting for a part from Cessna for the pilot door that was broken.... which brings me to a request, if you notice anything broken or needs attention on the aircraft, please let us know in the office and we will take care of it quickly so we do not interrupt the schedule.
182 is out of its annual inspection and is available.

Other happenings....
Our weekend pinch hitter course is coming up. Thank you to the 4 people that have registered and confirmed. They will be learning basic aerodynamics, introduction to navigation and basic radio communications, introduction to emergency procedures and practicing lots of landings.
If you are interested in joining the class, call the office at 951-272-3942 to reserve your space.

On a final note, Happy New Year. We are so thankful for all of our customers, staff and friends for a great 2011. We look forward to another great year of great flying, fun and celebrations with you.

-- Kevin.

All is calm...

2011-12-13T21:10:00.000-08:00

Wow, has it ever been a wierd month, first it was blistering hot, then this cold front came in from Canada and made me feel right at home, then it was super windy, thought I was in Chicago and now it is calm and somewhat warmer, and who says Southern California does not get weather....

So, it has been really quiet at the ranch this past week with some weekend warriors getting some great sky time. There is some excitement brewing though, I hear quite a few rumors out there, here is what I have heard....

The restaurant is opening in the New Year.... Well, they are interviewing this week, so hopefully they will work hard and open up, at least give us our restrooms...... Hope the food is good and priced right, should be a great place to fly into... well, not literally, but fly to Corona and park you plane at the transient parking and walk over to the cafe

N32182 will be picked up this week and heading straight into the maintenance shop for an inspection. She should be ready to take on all pilots in a few weeks, she will be offered in the flying club and rates will be posted on www.wingfleet.com website and www.flycorona.com websites shortly, you can always inquire at the office or shoot us an email: fly@flycorona.com

N7700N may come on the flight line in the flying club, details will follow shortly. This is a great looking Baron and very comfortable to fly in. I had the privilege to do a run up and taxi to the hanger with CFI Matt last week... Great preview on what's to come, I got really excited and looking forward to building some twin time.

Heard that January to June is quite gloomy here in Corona, so this may be the perfect opportunity to get your IFR rating. IFR flying is great, nothing like flying on top of a cloud, then descending on an ILS or GPS approach and seeing the runway when you pop out of the clouds. It is something you need to experience and our instructors are patiently waiting to do a demo flight or some real IFR training.

Lastly on the rumor mill is that the office now has an IPad 2 with WingX Pro 7 with moving map and weather info, fully installed ready to be rented out. This still needs to be tested with the GPS and signal strength, so let us know if you want to test it out for us!

Well, this next few weeks are check ride weeks for quite a few of you, I know of Carlos, doing the toughest checkride of them all, the initial CFI. Jason Cooper and his Private Pilot License. If I missed anyone, I apologize and I will include you on the next blog, and the newsletter, which reminds me, the next edition of Hangar Talk will be available before December 31, so check your emails and check the local newstands.... that being Fly Corona and Aircraft Spruce.

Hope to see you all at the BBQ on Saturday, the forecast looks good and I heard the food will be great as well! Oh yeah, the raffle will also be on this day!

Nothing new in Maintenanceland, all the aircraft are flying well, but this I do know.

94M will be heading for an annual inspection on the 20th
61Q will be going in for a 100hr on the 19th

Thanks to everyone who dropped off Christmas cookies and other goodies, we are quite enjoying them, but we may need to do some recalculations of weight and balances before our next flights :)

Fly Safe and grab some sky when you get a chance!

-- Kevin

Who turned off the heater and cranked up the wind tunnel?

2011-12-03T20:38:00.001-08:00

Wow, it has been really windy here in Corona the past few days making this a perfect opportunity to perfect those crosswind landings! Here is a great tip that I read from the AOPA flight magazine...
"A good way to practice crosswind landings is by making a series of low approaches to a long runway. For the first few, overfly the runway at approach speed, with perhaps the first notch of flaps. Using the ailerons, practice moving the aircraft from one side of the runway, to the centerline, to the other side of the runway (not too far!), and back to centerline. After a few passes, you should get the aileron control part down. On the next series of low passes, use the rudder to keep the nose parallel to the centerline as you maneuver the aircraft. Once you've got these basics down, you're ready to practice a full crosswind landing. "
Here is a video from a C-180's attempt at a crosswind landing, tell me how well he did... http://youtu.be/2vglejdWwsk

Hot off the press.... our monthly newsletter "Hangar Talk" was published this week, you can get your own copy in .pdf version from our website: http://www.flycorona.com/news.asp If you would like a printed copy (in color and on glossy paper...) come by the office before they are all gone!
If you have a great flying story and / or pictures to share, please send them to us, we would love to include them in the January edition.
We are updating our website as well, so if you have some really cool video, send them to me (for screening) and we may add them to our video section for all to enjoy!

Here's what I know from my visit to Maintenanceland today.....
61Q - is back on the line and ready to take on all pilots
68U - is still going strong
739 - is rockin steady
94M - is a trooper
63B - is a great IFR trainer
17J - is still the best aircraft and the ultimate IFR trainer

Other happenings......
December 17 is the BBQ for all our beloved friends of Fly C. The BBQ will start at 11:30 and go till about 1:30 or so. Come for some great food and pilot talk.

January 7 & 8 is our very first Pinch Hitter course. This is a 2 day course that will prepare co-pilots in what to do in slightest chance of an emergency.

The office will be closed on December 25th so we can enjoy the Christmas day with our families. If you would like to fly on this day, please make arrangements with the office on the 24th.

Fly Safe!!!
Kevin

It feels a lot like summer!!!

2011-11-29T18:25:00.001-08:00

I do not know who ordered all this nice warm weather, but it feels a lot like summer! The winds on Monday made a checkride challenging and great practice for those crosswind landings... YIKES!

It has been a really busy week with some 2 new private pilots.

1. Ken Lindberg got through his private check ride in some really windy conditions (20 degree crab required on final). He did this in 94M with DPE Mark.

2. Paul Cass sailed through his checkride in 61Q with DPE Andrea

Hats off to some new solo pilots Sohail Simjee, Adam Henningsen and Drew Cessna.

Things going on in the office:

Keep an eye out for our very first edition of Hanger Talk where you will find exciting articles from the flight training world, Q&A from our very own CFI's and stories and pictures from our clients. If you have some exciting stories and pictures to share, please email them to Kate at fly@flycorona.com

We now can offer financing for all flight training! Monthly payments are as low as $85 per month for our Private Pilot Package in the C150 or $135 per month in our beautiful C172SP G1000, affectionately known as "Julie".

Mark you calendars for the BBQ lunch on Saturday Dec 17 from 11:30 to 1:30, bring your family and friends

Planning on attending our Pinch Hitter course on Jan 7 and 8th? If so, call today to reserve your spot. There are 5 spots remaining and filling up fast!

Maintenanceland:
61Q is flying and getting ready for more checkrides!
68U is a workhorse
94M is strong as ever
63B is picking up the slack
739 just finished a fresh 100 inspection and is ready to fly
61J is enjoying all the love from the pilots

It has been a real exciting around here the past week as you can see and there is never a dull moment!

So grab some clear sky while it is here and then go for that IFR demo!

Kevin.

who ordered all the rain????

2011-11-17T20:19:00.001-08:00

I can't believe that Thanksgiving and Christmas is almost here and we are now in the rainy season here in Corona, so,why not take advantage of the clouds and grab your IFR ticket, or take an IFR demo ride with one of our excellent CFI's!

A few things going on in maintenance land........

61Q is up in the air and running better than ever
98U is up in the air
94M is going strong
93B is cruising
739 is logging a lot of flights
17J is a workhorse and will be heading for a 100 hour on Tuesday.
182 is coming soon...... say again? That's right, coming to our fleet is a beautiful B33 Debonair and will have a fresh annual and 265 hp engine! We are anticipating having her on the line and ready to go the first week of December.

Congratulations to our newest commercial pilot, Pat S. who successfully passed his Commercial check ride Yesterday with DPE Tom Hamm! Great job!!!

A few housekeeping items,

The office will be closed on Thursday Nov 24 and Friday Nov 25 so we can enjoy the turkey dinners,spend time with our families and of course spend all our hard cash on Black Friday Sales!

If you have flights booked, call ahead to arrange pick up of the keys. If you want to grab some clear skies at the last minute, please email me at kevin@flycorona.com and I will be more than happy to come and give you the keys.

Other things that are happening on the ranch.....

We have now opened our facebook store where you can purchase gift certificates and our ever popular Catalina and Lake Matthews demo. That's right, we now have gift certificates available just in time for the holiday season.

We are offering a Pinch hitter course to all spouses which will include having one of our qualified CFI's teaching emergency procedures and landings. Spouses are more than welcome to sit in on any ground sessions and back seat on any cross country lessons that are given (at the student level). For more information, inquire at the office.

We are in the process of securing in house financing for all courses, more details to come next week!

We will be having a Christmas lunch for all our customers and staff on Saturday December 17th at 11:30 to 2:30. Please come by for some food, refreshments, raffle drawing and some good ole pilot talk.

We have 5 student check rides scheduled in the month of November. Good luck to all of them, I know that you are well prepared and we will be celebrating with you all shortly!

On a final note, if you have a good story to share for our new monthly newsletter, please send them to us along with any photos that you may have.

Fly safe!
Kevin.

BBQ's and Facebook

2011-11-13T21:02:00.001-08:00

Sorry that it has been awhile since the last blog from Mike, this is my first blog, so please be gentle....

First I want to thank all of you who came out to the bbq last Saturday. I hope you enjoyed the hamburgers, hotdogs, chips and refreshments. If you missed this one, join us in December for our customer appreciation day, more details to come in the next few weeks.

It has been a crazy few weeks at the ranch and this is what I know in maintenanceland.

61Q - Is in maintenance being repaired. Should be returning by Tuesday
68U----Is in the air
739---- Is in the air
94M---Is in the air - going in for an oil change Monday morning for a few hours.
63B----Is in the air
17J----Is in the air

We are working on some great new ideas for your flying enjoyment, like a pinch hitter course that will encourage your spouse to come flying with you. Your spouse will be trained by one of our CFI's in the areas of emergency procedures and landings. They will also be permitted to join your dual cross country flights to get the full training experience.

Look out for our new facebook store that will be up and running early this week where you can purchase the gift of flight (fancy name for gift certificates...) and purchase our every popular Catalina Demo.

Good luck to all those who are taking checkrides this week!

Fly Safe!!

Kevin.

Wind and Rain and... Hamburgers?

2011-11-04T21:32:00.001-07:00

Pilots!

Who ordered up this weather?! The Santa Ana winds blew us all around, now a tropical-grade cold rain.. and then... blue skies like it never happened. We're confused.

What I do know is... tomorrow is supposed to be nice! Just in time for the weekend!

I know some more things too!

Cessna 61Q completed a 100hr.

Cessna 68U has a new nav/com1

Cessna 739 has a new set of nav lights

Cessna 94M has a new alternator.

Cessna 63B is going in for 100hr this week after a lap around the U.S.

Cessna 17J is ready to fly!

Wait a minute... One Seven who?

That's right... our little girl is back from the massage therapists at Tom's Aircraft in Long Beach, where she was treated to, among other things, a new engine, a new propeller, and significant new interior and sheet metal pieces. She's as good as new, and flies great!

Our friend Gerd took her up and down the coast on the laborious and noisy task of breaking in the new engine... and after her initial oil change, she is now ready for a new season of flying! Available immediately for bookings!

Welcome back, Julie! We missed you!

I mentioned Hamburgers too!

To welcome our girl back to the ranch, and celebrate (belatedly) her 5th birthday, we are throwing a BBQ tomorrow, assuming the sunshine holds out. (current forecast: yes!) -- If you are in our neck of the woods, feel free to join us for some snacks, some drinks, some music, and a whole lot of pilots talking a whole lot of hangar trash...

The least you need to know:

Noon tomorrow (Saturday)!

Snacks

Hangar trash talk

Pilots

:) Hope to see you there!!

==

I swiped the photos above rather unceremoniously from Gerd with no permission whatsoever, jackal that I am.. and as such, Gerd will be getting at least two hamburgers of his choosing tomorrow -- including yours if he claims it! Thanks for the flight, Gerd!

==

Blue Skies, cool weather... sounds like an excuse to grab some air therapy!

See ya soon,

- Mike

P.S. -- you guys are too good at this name-that-plane business -- nice job to the 8 of you who called out the Electra Jr.. often mistaken for the Beech 18. ...So here's a fresh one. If you all jump on this one with the same veracity, I will be forced to find some Romanian WW1 prototype planes to stump you with ;)

Busy busy

2011-10-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Forgive my absence -- it's been a rather insane week. Let me take it from the top.

First -- a very belated congrats to U.S. Private Pilot Jim L., who scored his wings last Saturday in Cessna 68U with DPE Mark D.!

Way to go, Jim! (Sorry for the late shout-out :) )

Second, please join me in congratulating the newest IFR-rated pilot Peter T., who scored his blindfold today in Cessna 739 with DPE Mark D.

Nice work, Peter!!

Some maintenance faces:

Cessna 61Q completed her 100hr.

Cessna 68U will go under for 100hr on Friday

Cessna 739 is rocking a new set of magnetos from her 100hr

Cessna 94M is down for 100hr.

Cessna 63B is out touring the pacific northwest

Cessna 17J is due back this week or next. We had two squawks with her workmanship to iron out.

We have hired a new General Manager!

Pilots, when you're around the ranch next, please look for our new GM, Kevin Karr, who joins us from San Diego's MYF Montgomery field. Kevin was involved in their FAA Part 141 program, and will steward our own 141 program, which is due to gain FAA Agency Approval before the end of the year.

Kevin is a Commercial Pilot, loves flying, and most important, will be at the ranch daily to make sure our operations are run with the finesse they deserve. Kevin is a critical component in ensuring Fly Corona can continue growing smoothly as we start new endeavours such as our maintenance operation and continued growth of the fleet.

Welcome aboard, Kevin!

==

We would like to have a BBQ and Ticket Raffle on Saturday November 5 -- We are tallying up the prizes and goodies, snacks, and someone threatened some old-school Nintendo on the hangar wall. Unbeatable! Come hang with us at the airport for snacks, drinks, pilots, and shenanigans!

Last chance to pad your chances at some cool pilot swag. Inquire with the office if you'd like a raffle ticket. :)

Stay East! A TFR tomorrow threatens your flying enjoyment with F-16s and paperwork! The Horror!

(okay, well, not the F-16s, that'd be sorta cool -- except for the part where they take your pilot certificates and run them through a paper shredder)

Los Angeles VIP TFR!

Foggy in the west, but nice in Corona! Grab some air!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Cha cha cha

2011-09-24T17:31:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

I am just catching my breath from a very busy week, here is what I missed (but you may not have):

First -- we have a new IFR-rated pilot this week! Please join me in congratulating Ming L, who scored his blindfold in Cessna 739 with DPE Andrea E!

Way to go, Ming!

I know some things in maintenance land:

Cessna 526 completed an oil change

Cessna 61Q completed a 100hr

Cessna 68U completed her 100hr

Cessna 739 is rocking

Cessna 94M completed her 100hr

Cessna 63B is cruising

Cessna 17J has her new engine hung and is poised for paint work, acceptance, and will be back!

Bonanza 11N is a powerhouse

==

There is a gorgeous Baron on our ramp. We will know more next week, but it may find room in our nest. Please mop up any drool left on the wing, or inquire with the office for our proposed rates/club participation.

There are 3 other aircraft we are in assorted states of discussion with. Woof!

We are officially in the acceptance phase of our FAA Part 141. Target for final approval is 45-60 days hence. The office will be very busy.

==

We have a new CFI/CFII/MEI who has joined the Fly Corona family -- please say hello to Will K., who joins us from Long Beach, and we are happy to have flying with us! Will is friendly like us, enjoys flying, and brings a wealth of local knowledge -- and is ready to show you everything he knows!

Welcome, Will!

==

We have completely shuffled up the office.

Cris moves from Line Management to the office, and is currently in training. Please be nice to him, or escalate issues to Beth or myself if needed.

Ruth moves from Office Management to the Maintenance side of the house, where she will be assisting our wrenches as they get busy. And they are getting busy, if you've peeked inside there.

Kate joins us in the Office and is currently in training. Please be nice to her too :)

A lot is moving around -- and we might drop some stuff through the cracks! Don't let us -- drop me a note here, email beth@flycorona.com or mike@flycorona.com, or ask around -- someone should be able to help :)

==

A friend of ours has had a Garmin GPSMAP 495 Stolen, serial # 1E0003018 -- if you see a suspiciously good deal on a great GPS, please get in touch with the office, so we can reunite our friend with his backup navigation :)

==

We seem to have the only good weather in SoCal for flying... yay us! Grab some sky!

See ya,

- Mike

(by the way -- nice work to whomever called the Bellanca Cruisemaster -- how bout this one below? ;) )

Boom boom boom!

2011-09-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Who ordered up the thunderstorms? What the heck? We have deliberated and decided to blame our Dallas emigre' Paul, who clearly brought these shenanigans with him. Uncool! A lightning bolt even set one of our airport palm trees on fire, with 40' high flames. Very uncouth. Luckily the Corona FD is just around the corner and foamed the thing. I'm certain we're in the market for a new palm tree.

Our friend Andy S. was in the market for a Pilot's License this morning, and refused to accept "No" for an answer -- Please join me in congratulating the newest U.S. Private Pilot in the US, and one who snuck into CNO under Special VFR plus took off in Cessna 739 when the lightning passed -- then knocked out a PPL with DPE Mark D. Wow. That must've been quite the ride.

I tip my hat, Andy. Well done!

Andy's idea of checkride weather:

KAJO 101711Z AUTO 28005KT TSRA FEW001 BKN014 18/14 A2988 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT SW TSB07RAB09 P0002 $

Proof that large brass orbs do not make good lightning rods. ;)

We are shaking some things up around here:

We have paid our landlord a friendship fee to grant us access to the restaurant restrooms -- a very gracious gesture on his part. Please ask the office for the key to the "modern facilities" which boast features such as running water, soap, and a "flush", whatever that is. Fancy! We may need to pass out monocles and top hats to our aviators when they avail themselves of this new facility.

The Fly Corona Line staff have promised to keep the restrooms habitable. Please notify the office if you find them anything but spotless.

==

We also have an ulterior motive for this restroom refurb, over and above decorum -- the FAA has snuck in a requirement for having a restroom attached to our test center building. Our FAA test center has been suspended as a result of the hotbox out back that we thought was sufficient. We didn't know -- sorry about that! We expect to be back up ASAP, but in the meantime, we are referring folks to CNO or RAL for their writtens. Doh!

We have an old/new face at the ranch in our CFI roster -- please welcome our new Chief Pilot Robert S., who has agreed to assist us with our Part 141 transition with the FAA. Robert is also lending his wisdom for training, and is ready to share his 4000 hours of experience with our flyers.

Robert was part of the FlyC CFI Class of 2005, and holds a full set of ratings, is definitely a personality match -- we're happy to have him back in the roost.

Welcome (back), Robert!

==

We have made an offer on a multi-engine aircraft. Don't get excited yet, but we have started the dance. :) More as I know it.

==

Whoever called the Bay Super V -- nice work! Twin Bonanza, while I love them, are definitely very different. If you're ever midfield on aviation drive, there is a beige Twin Bonanza -- a giant thing, tail number N11KM.

I can play this game all day. Here's a soft pitch -- name that plane! :

No maintenance drama to report. Consider that situation now "jinxed" -- doh!

More as I know it!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Touchdown!

2011-08-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating the newest US Private Pilot in the world, one RJ Z., who scored his wings yesterday with DPE Mark D in Cessna 739.

Nice work, RJ!

I know some things in maintenanceland:

61Q is cruising.

68U is under the microscope for an engine roughness we still have not fully cured.

739 is in the pit lanes for a 100hr inspection.

94M has had a repair to her carburetor air box.

63B is rocking her new cylinders.

17J's new engine is wrapping up. Just waiting on the airframe now.

...so about Julie...

Someone made an amusing comment about the cost of aviation repairs, and why some Pep Boys Bondo won't do the trick... check this work out -- we got an update from the sheet metal wizards at Tom's Aircraft, in Long Beach, CA, and literally, Julie is being remanufactured from the ground up. Any bent metal is unairworthy and discarded, to be replaced by new green zinc-chromated aluminum. When we say "airworthy", we're not messing around.

(the green zinc-chromate coating is corrosion-proofing -- sometimes it is a yellow-green color)

Here are some pics of what $120k in work looks like:

The little pins poking out from the sheet metal are called Cleco's -- little grabber claws that act like a temporary and removable rivet. Aircraft are genuinely hand-crafted and laboriously manufactured, to the point where every aluminum panel does not come with holes pre-drilled! The mechanic measures twice, drills, and holds the spot with a Cleco. After a few hundred clecos, the mechanic is ready to drive new, permanent rivets.

It's really one of the few major handcrafted products made in the USA still. If you ever get to Wichita, check out the tour at Independence, KS, it is simply amazing.

Julie rejoins us in a few weeks!

==

We have a new staff member at the ranch! We have hired a legendary Maintenance Guru, Paul McCracken, who joins us from Dallas, TX. Paul has been our exclusive prepurchase inspection provider, and is a true piston-aircraft specialist, who jet sets all over the US, looking at aircraft, fixing them, and bringing them home.

Paul is also a Beechcraft Wizard of known repute, but works on all types of aircraft, and brings with him decades of aviation knowledge and lore. We have spent 3 years wooing Paul, and pouring him the Fly Corona! Kool-Aid, and he's onboard to level-up our maintenance facility! Paul joins us late this week or early next, depending on his packing arrangements and skills.

Paul's job number one will be to care and feed for our Flybabies like they were his own, as well as draw some fancier planes into Corona, and ultimately, our maintenance shop expansion to Chino Airport.

Welcome to the family, Paul!

We expect to have a welcome BBQ for Paul in a few weeks, and hope to see you there! Additionally, 5 points and a high-five from Paul if you can name the plane above without googling the N# :)

==

Nice weather abounds... grab some sky!

Cheers,

- Mike

Some good news on the horizon!

2011-08-24T19:57:00.001-07:00

Pilots!

I know some things :)

==

First, the usual noise in maintenanceland:

Cessna 61Q is in for 100hr.

Cessna 68U is due back on the line tomorrow.

Cessna 739 isn't bothering anyone. Thanks 739!

Cessna 94M is back on her new hip joint

Cessna 63B is back on her new top overhaul.

Cessna 17J is reported to be 3 weeks away yet. Sigh.

Bonanza 11N is cruising.

We have succeeded in our insurance wrangle! The underwriter gods agreed to our "compartmentalization of risk", and things are back where they were!

There is no mandatory renters insurance for domestic pilots.

There IS mandatory insurance for foreign pilots.

Again, my apologies for the turmoil. This was a lot of work from the crew, so throw some kudos when you see them next. :)

We have begun the process to become an FAA-Accredited Part 141 School. Since our checkride pass rate is hovering around the 95% range, and we continuously turn out high-quality students, the FAA has agreed to pursue this approval with us. This is a very high honor, and we're pleased to be tightening our partnership with the FAA, and inviting their oversight into our operations.

We will continue to offer Part 61 training for those who prefer it. One immediate change with 141 status is the ability to accept G.I. Bill funds to provide training for our veterans.

Nice weather.. not tooooo hot out! Grab some sky!

Cheers,

- Mike

A flurry!

2011-08-10T23:28:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Quite a few doings lately around the ranch... Here are some things of note:

First, please join me in congratulating newly-minted Private Pilot Nick G., who scored his wings on Sunday with DPE Mark D. in Cessna 739. Nick was able to scud-run his way to victory. Way to go, Nick!

Next, another Private Pilot pulled down a set of wings -- join me in congratulating Private Pilot Adrian B., who sailed through his checkride yesterday in Cessna 61Q!

Way to go, gentlemen!

==

I know some maintenance things too!

Do you know how sometimes girls will all get up to go to the restroom at the same time? Yeah, it's kinda like that this week...

Cessna 61Q completed her oil change.

Cessna 68U is down for an engine roughness issue.

Cessna 739 is not bothering anyone. Thanks 739!

Cessna 94M is halfway through her new landing gear saddle.

Cessna 63B is awaiting the engine swamis to discuss a periodic RPM drop.

Cessna 17J is due back next week. Nobody reaallllly thought it would be this week, did they? Silly pilots. :)

Bonanza 11N has completed her Annual with the addition of a spinner cone.

Well, what the heck?!

As always, despite some rather intense schedule pressures, we cannot dispatch a plane with maintenance concerns -- so we ground them rather than kick them into the sky and hope they run right. The downside is -- occasional group trips to the hangar. Sorry, pilots! Bear with us and we'll get the flightline righted by the weekend.

==

The weather is pretty much perfect. Not too hot, clear as a bell, not even that windy. So nice for some air therapy. :)

...More as I know it!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Change of plans...

2011-08-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Nice and toasty at the ranch... and lots of opportunity to play in the sky!

==

We have been huddled in the office and wringing our hands over our insurance debacle, and we have discovered a new avenue to try. It will take appx 4 weeks to engineer, but here is the plan:

For now, we are removing our proposed requirement for renter's insurance. We really didn't like the awkwardness it presented, and it wasn't our typical smooth way of doing things.

We are engaging a new insurance tactic which we expect to lower our deductible back where it belongs. Coverages will not be affected, we are just partitioning the fleet into risk categories a little more finely. Insurers love that.

Foreign time-builders will still be required to carry full-value insurance to rent.

So... for now.. biz as usual. Sorry for the turmoil -- we're adapting as best we can to a strange situation.

==

I know some things in maintenanceland!

Cessna 61Q is out of 100hr

Cessna 68U is out of 100hr

Cessna 739's LED light has not burned out, setting a new record for our light-eater. Nighttime pilots rejoice!

Cessna 94M is in for 100hr. We have discovered the beginnings of a crack in one of her landing gear saddles. Normal wear, but not something we tolerate once we see it starting. 94M will be down for about a week.

The landing gear saddle is the piece of aluminum the gear leg flexes against on those difficult landings. It acts as a fulcrum, between the wheel at one end, and some very impressive spring packs in the belly at the other end. Betcha didn't know our planes had shocks on the mains didja? How else can we dribble them down the runways of SoCal every day? :)

I'll see if we can get a pic of the saddle to share for everyone. Feel free to stop by the hangar also if you're curious. 94M's suspension will be on display while our wrenches swap this part out -- it's neat in there, and worth a look. I expect it will be viewable starting tomorrow.

Cessna 63B completed a 100hr too. Because everyone else was doing it.

Cessna 17J is slated to return at the end of next week -- wow! She will be burning-in a new engine when she arrives, so we are looking for folks who want to do some low-altitude XC flying. Contact the office if that sounds like your bag.

Bonanza 11N is completing her annual. Like 94M, we found a small crack forming in the prop spinner bulkhead. Even though it's a cosmetic part, it's a highly-stressed area, and we are not interested in decorating a moving prop with the shrapnel of a nosecone. This is rough on pilots and upholstery.

11N will return appx Thursday or so, after the part arrives.

Woof!

Who invited the thunderstorm out to play on Sunday? Stop that. It felt like Florida for a day -- luckily it was way worse in Florida, so our smugness remains unchallenged. SoCal for the win.

Looking great all this week -- grab some air therapy!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Rockstars

2011-07-26T22:04:00.001-07:00

Pilots!

Please join me in high-fiving two excellent pilots who knocked out some checkride goodness today!

First, the newest Private Pilot in the world! One US Private Pilot Ryan D scored his wings with DPE Mark D in Cessna 739!

Way to go, Ryan!

And... the nastiest checkride there is... one which, at one point, had a 25% initial pass rate...

...was just decimated by our own Nick K -- the newest FAA Certified Flight Instructor in the world! And on the first try, awww yeah! Nice work Nick!

Nick flew with the Riverside FSDO using both Cessna 739 and Bonanza 11N.

So awesome. Way to go Nick!

Nick may be joining our CFI roster shortly! After the celebrations wear off anyway...

Not much else going on:

Cessna 61Q is cruising.

Cessna 68U isn't bothering anyone.

Cessna 739's LED landing light is very stylish.

Cessna 94M owns the sky

Cessna 63B is in for Annual.

Cessna 17J is being repaired.

Bonanaza 11N makes CFIs all day like it was nothin.

It's warm out! The fridge is well stocked -- please make hydration part of your pre- and post- flight briefings! It's pilot-making weather!

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Progress!

2011-07-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Sorry for the long delay in updating, but we have been very busy behind the scenes. Here are some things I know:

First, in maintenanceland;

Cessna 526 has rejoined us after completing her annual. She is available for large blocks of time-building to relieve 61Q's schedule, and rents at competitive dry rates.

Cessna 61Q has started her 100hr inspection.

Cessna 68U has completed her 100hr inspection.

Cessna 739 is not bothering anyone. Her LED light has even shipped! We'll believe it when we see it.

Cessna 94M is cruising along.

Cessna 63B goes in for her annual next week.

Cessna 17J will be rejoining the fleet! She is due in 5-6 weeks.

Bonanza 11N will be going down for annual next week also.

Woof.

So we have completed our insurance renewal, and we have come to a compromise on our policies, after much hand-wringing.

First, since we hate surprises, there are no changes coming until August 31.

As discussed, our deductible is increasing to $10,000. This is effective immediately.

Solo students will be asked to carry $10,000 in renters coverage prior to solo. We will offer two flavors of coverage: Avemco (which covers you nationally) at appx $240, and a local option through our carrier in the neighborhood of $199. This will be per year.

Renters who we have an existing relationship with (and that relationship has not bent any metal) will also be asked to carry $10,000 in renters coverage. The rates will be the same, however, if you are not a FlyC alumnus, there may be an insurance form required for the $199 option.

Foreign renters who are new to the school will be required to carry full coverage for the aircraft of their choosing.

==

I know this all sounds like bad news, but the alternative option was to hike aircraft rates by $10/hr, and keep the $5,000 deductible, which we disagree with. Instead, we have chosen to personally absorb the increased insurance rates we will have this year, and hope that we have a smooth 2011/2012 flying season. At that time, we expect things to go back to normal. (except for the foreign insurance requirement -- that stays!)

Under our scheme, if you do have a real bad day of flying, your deductible is covered. We think $0 is better than $5,000, and much better than $10,000. As 17J shows, flying is not getting any cheaper. (her current tally is appx $125,000, and we're not done yet!)

We also expect to offer a package deal where we will cover your insurance costs with a block time purchase. We are working the spreadsheets to make it work out.

==

We will have finalized rates and whatnot shortly. Feel free to contact the office or myself with questions or concerns.

In other news...

We may be adding a 182T to the flightline to fill in where 073 abruptly left off.

==

We are on the hunt to add a General Manager to the Fly Corona staff. As my own time is increasingly and unusually being taken with other things, we have decided to increase our "power" in the office with some fresh talent and ideas. This will allow me to meddle without being distracted while at the airport. Additionally, it will give you a new steward to ensure your flying with us is the best anywhere.

There is no job description for this position, as this job is like nothing you could ever describe. It is, however, an absolute blast. If you or someone you know might want to play airplanes with us, drop me a line at mike@flycorona.com. Please be, at a minimum, a pilot, someone interesting, full of energy, and not mean. The rest we'll figure out as we go -- but we'll be picky and will want a truly unique individual.

==

We are hosting a tire/brake change FAA Safety Seminar this Saturday at 10am. Donuts and coffee and hangar wrenching -- what could be finer? Join us if you like -- the course is eligible for FAA Wings credit!

==

Summer! Be sure to stay cool -- don't forget to add a cold water bottle to your preflight!

More as I know it...

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Tropically Fun Times!

2011-07-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Thanks to those who joined us on a fun adventure to Oceano for snacks and sand at Pismo Beach! The following BBQ was also a great time, thanks to grillmaster Cris!

It was nice to sit and tell hangar lies on a gorgeous California Sunday, and with such a great crew. It was also nice to hear some pro comms, see some sweet short-field techniques, and even dodge a few unlucky skydivers, who misunderstood that airports are for airplanes, not for things tied to napkins and thrown out of a Cessna. Goofballs. :)

I hope we can do a similar get-together soon!

==

In other news,

Word on the street is that Julie will return to the fleet after some physical therapy handed down by the maestros at Tom's Aircraft in Long Beach. We had Julie shipped to Toms, since we bought her there, and have asked their sheet metal masters to see what they can do. We will know more shortly.

==

Mostly quiet in maintenanceland. 68U has had some spark plugs cleaned.

We are not done with our insurance fisticuffs yet, but will know by the end of the week what is in store. Things are looking decent.

==

Please join me in welcoming our newest CFI to the fold -- one Cooper Lee! Cooper joins us with significant aviation experience, a calm teaching demeanour, great pilot chops, and -- for now -- an open schedule! Cooper is available Sunday through Thursday for now while we ramp him up. If you bump into him, give him a hello or stylish fist bump, and welcome him to our Eyrie!

Morning fog, afternoon haze, 80 degree weather. Summer is upon us! Good times!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

A Tropical getaway?

2011-07-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

It's too hot lately. If only we had time machines that could whisk us away...

Oh, wait!

This Sunday, July 10, join us for a summer fun trip to Oceano near Pismo Beach! We are taking the entire flotilla, plus some friends of the school, and cruising to the beach! There is talk of goofing around at the airport, telling lies, or even quads and paintball -- then a leisure cruise back to Corona for a BBQ and a movie!

Dress code is hawaiian, flights are pro-rata, and fun is guaranteed! We are briefing at 8:30am on Sunday, and will plan to have a safe adventure while our grounded friends bake! Ha!

There are still a few spots -- contact Carlos in the office to swipe a spot! Hope to see you there!

I suspect our BBQ will be at 6 or 7pm -- if you can't get away for some flying, swing down for some burgers and chat with the coolest pilots in the southland!

Carlos has more information on our Facebook Page!

Calm around the ranch otherwise. Grab some air!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Well, I'm not bored...!

2011-06-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

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.

==

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

==

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!

==

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

Blue Skies, straight landings!

- Mike

You need some more cheese in your life...

2011-06-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

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.

==

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. :)

==

That's everything I know.

Blue Skies... exist somewhere else. :P

See ya!

- Mike

Mud what?

2011-06-03T13:16:00.000-07:00

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.

==

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. :)

==

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

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Who needs air miles? We're Pilots!

2011-05-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Nice weather, reasonably full stable of planes... I think summer is closing on us fast!

Here are some things I know about:

First, our TRACON tour is on Monday -- contact the office if you'd like to play hookey with us and go play ATC for a day. It's highly recommended. We will try to bring back some sneaky pictures from the tour :)

Next, some maintenance faces I can make:

Cessna 61Q still owes us a headliner. Any day now...

Cessna 526 is due back next week. This should alleviate schedule pressure.

Cessna 68U is cruising great.

Cessna 739 has her #2 NAVCOM out for calibration. We are expecting her back on Monday.

Cessna 94M started flying for us today. She already has a new copilot PTT switch. We are working on getting the GPS database updated for the local area. We'll be removing the wheelpants soon... not that we don't trust you guys or anything ;) Also, the transponder's mode C has been reported intermittent, and we are isolating it.

Cessna 63B has a new attitude indicator and will be receiving a new prop spinner tomorrow.

Cessna 17J is due back next week. Word from the hangar is "!@#$ Monel Rivets!!!" Heh heh.

Bonanza 11N may be getting a new attitude indicator soon.

$8 worth of pure high-strength mil-spec evil. Julie is getting $750 worth of these installed this week.

I also have an experiment to share with you.

We were reviewing our credit processing statements recently and noticed that we're losing appx $4,000 per month on Visa/MC/Amex/Discover fees. The price of doing business, sure, but after a call to our processor, it was revealled that one culprit is the "reward" card that we all use.

We brainstormed around the office and came up with this idea: What would our friends want more? Some air miles, or some good Pilot Swag?

So here is our thinking: Pay any invoice or deposit with cash, check, or debit PIN card, and you save us money -- therefore, we'd like to return the favor. We're going to have a prize giveaway.

Here's the thinking:

We'd like to split our fee savings with folks who pay with "lean" payment methods. As such, for every $500 spent using one of the 3 above-mentioned methods, we will place a ticket with your name on it in our prize drawing fishbowl.

We will seed the prize pool with an assortment of FlyC swag, such as Polo shirts, hats, some videos, etc., and a new Brightline flight bag!

And as we add tickets, we will add to the prize pool as follows:

At 50 tickets, your choice of Ray-Ban Aviator Sunglasses (for the 3 of you who don't already sport them), a selection of 4 Aviation DVDs from Aircraft Spruce, or a $100 giftcard to ACS.

At 100 tickets, we will add a training ride in a Boeing Stearman or a Tailwheel Endorsement in a Piper J-3 Cub

At 250, we will add an Apple iPad 2 with ForeFlight

At 450, we will add a Garmin Aera 500 Portable Terrain/Airspace GPS

At 750, we will add a Bose A20 Bluetooth Headset.

...beats Air Miles, right? Also at each of these tiers, we will continue to add a bunch of smaller swag to make sure everyone gets a shot at good stuff.

Here is the fine print:

We are working out final prize tiers, but the values will at least be what is described above. All prizes can be redeemed for an ACS Gift Card or FlyC Credit, of course.

We plan to have a winter BBQ and Prize Drawing, and do a little Airport Santa-ing.

We plan to add all sorts of fun and unusual Tchotchkes and nonsense to the Prize Pool as we think of them.

Whatcha think? Feel free to share any ideas with us...

==

We still have spots for our annual pilgrimage to Osh Kosh. Feel free to drop me a line if you'd like to throw your name in the ring. Additionally, if you didn't hear from me this week about it, I overlooked your interest -- give me a nudge.

More as I know it!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Whoozzat?

2011-05-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

I know a few things. :)

First, that rundown:

Cessna 61Q has completed an oil change

Cessna 526 will rejoin us next week with a new oil pump, finally.

Cessna 68U is rocking

Cessna 739 completed her 100hr today in pitstop style. Nice work, hangar!

Cessna 63B has a new battery

Cessna 17J's firewall is off. She may return next week.

Bonanza 11N has a new navcom 2.

Woof.

We have a line on a Piper Warrior and Cessna 172N who may join our flightline.

There is someone new on the schedule.

Meet Cessna 94M!

What happens when you take a midrange C172, add a fresh RAM 160hp upgrade, new paint, interior, and a WAAS-capable Garmin 430W GPS? You get a near-new Cessna Skyhawk, ready to tear into some serious VFR and IFR training!

Check her out:

Cessna 94M is being retrieved as we speak, and should join us on the flightline on Monday or Tuesday next week! And what's better, we were able to squeeze her onto the lineup for only $5/hr more than 739! Can't beat that!

==

Some other things I know about:

The Chino Airshow is this weekend! The Planes of Fame museum is an integral part of one of our best local airshows -- and since the weather is forecasted to be snotty anyway, why not go see some history?

More information is available here, and it is well worth the trip if you can make it.

There is just one week left to register for a visit to SoCal TRACON -- if you missed it the first time, I can highly recommend a visit. Meet with SoCal approach, meet the actual humans behind the scopes, and find out the inside scoop on how to navigate SoCal's airspace. Plus, you get to play on the training scopes and see what a job they have juggling airplanes around the sky -- it's quite a treat.

We are flying out Monday, May 23, at 9:00am or so, and will tour TRACON from 11-3. We will also make a lunch stop at Casa Machado before leaving Montgomery/San Diego field. Just a grand time.

Throw Beth a line in the office if you'd like to join us -- you can fly or drive to meet us there!

We have made the executive decision to limit Demo flights to 5 per day going forward. Our Groupon commitments are getting "outta hand" -- sorry for the schedule crunch, folks!

==

Maybe it will clear up tomorrow after all -- we can hope, right? By the way, if you check ASOS for weather, it has been reporting OVC001 erroneously. Check CNO weather to make the call. The FAA has been informed and they promise a fix soon.

I suppose it will be toasty here shortly and we can long for the overcast.

Til then -- Blue Skies!

- Mike

I ain't afraid of no wind...

2011-05-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating the newest Private Pilot in the world, one pilot Pat M., who shrugged off the 40kt winds Saturday afternoon and scored some wings with DPE Mark D in Cessna 739

Way to go, Pat!

I know a bunch of things:

Cessna 61Q has joined the fleet to fill in where 630 abruptly left off. We are refurbishing her interior (headliner is on its way), however, she is perfectly flyable while we do these improvements. 61Q is flying now for the same rate as 630. Nice!

Cessna 68U is partying on her new motor.

Cessna 739 isn't bothering anyone. We are going to experiment with an LED landing light, since 739 eats them like skittles.

Cessna 63B is cruising.

Cessna 17J returns to Corona this week, however, we have decided to just complete a mechanical refurbishment. This will mean new interior, some cosmetic tweaks, and maybe an engine overhaul, depending on timing. Downtime is expected at 2-4 weeks. Sorry pilots. :/

Bonanza 11N is cruising.

We are still shopping.

It's time for another SoCal TRACON tour! This time, it is hoped that we can get some non-naturalized folks into the mix.

First, the plan is now Monday, May 23, on-site near MCAS Miramar. As last time, we will conduct a fly-in to Montgomery field (KMYF) and shuttle folks from the terminal.

If you can make it and are not currently a US Citizen, please contact Bob M, our TRACON host immediately at skylord@cox.net to make any necessary arrangements.

The last trip was a 4-hour romp through SoCal, chatting with the actual controllers, and a frank exchange of ideas about how the pilot-controller interface works. It is amazingly great insight into SoCal Approach, the busiest airspace in the world, and the hundreds of controllers who make it possible.

Highly recommended!

More as I know it -- it's getting warm again, and quick! You know what that means... hangar movie nights are due to be rekindled soon. :)

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Well, don't do THAT!

2011-04-13T18:30:00.001-07:00

Pilots!

Let's say its a nice calm day at the airport, and you're out doing touch n goes. For the sake of argument, let's do them in the 150 -- cheap flying if there was ever such a thing. :)

Let's say you "touch" your landing, add power for the go around, and the plane won't climb out of ground effect? You're at midfield and 60mph or so.

Do you:

1. Stop, land, sort it out?
2. Attempt to accelerate in ground effect and hope it climbs out?
3. Pull back on the yoke and MAKE it fly.

Some of you may already see where I am going with this. :)

Two very lucky pilots, one a commercially-rated one, learned that #3 is no choice at all, but rather a recipe for disaster. (pro tip: #2 is lame also) Particularly if the flaps were not retracted on-the-go. Yikes.

Both are fine and recovering from what was certainly a wild ride and tour of the midfield hangars. Suffice it to say, Cessna 630 will not be rejoining us for the summer flying season, and we have two smarter pilots in the airman ranks. It's all about energy management, and planes do not fly on willpower. :)

Let's extract some lessons from our friends:

1. If the plane is not making the power or performance you expect, STOP, or if you are airborne, LAND and sort it out. You have a bonafide emergency that needs sorting.

2. Touch n Goes are critical maneuvers. Failing to do the required steps (power in, carb heat off, flaps up, airspeed, Vy, climbout) can result in consequences, and you have limited time to execute in. A stop with a taxi-back does indeed cost you about 15% more time on the meter. Loggable time. Long runways await you at CNO and RAL if you're doing anything unusual.

3. Aircraft are very good at absorbing crash forces. Use the seat belts and shoulder harnesses -- you never know when you might need them.

4. Fly the airplane, never let it fly you.

We are supremely happy that the two pilots are relatively unharmed after their adventure. Please don't think I'm making light of an incident here -- I think everything that we can learn from is a benefit to the entire pilot community -- and dwelling on "what could have been" is macabre -- instead, let's analyze, improve, and do better as a group -- to improve General Aviation as a whole.

==

Some other news I know about...

We are in the market for a C150!

Cessna 526 is down for an oil pump replacement. She will return this week.

Cessna 739 is cruising

Cessna 63B is not offending anyone

Cessna 17J is down for a repair to her firewall. It appears someone has also been learning about touch-n-goes lately. Downtime TBD. Great timing, Julie. :) If the downtime will be more than a week, we will probably refurb her interior while we're in there. We will know more tomorrow.

Bonanza 11N is running great.

We are still in the market for a C172.

==

The schedule crunch continues. We have turned down a few dogs out there. We have even increased our hunt to include Piper Warrior/Archer, Beech Skipper, and Cessna 152. (we are not fans of the C152 by the way, but only from a maintenance perspective -- we can stretch a point under the circumstances) -- while I love the Sundowner intensely, its landing characteristics are not "forgiving", and we won't be hunting for one -- even though it pains me as a Beech snob. :)

As gas prices continue to go bonkers, we are considering moving the entire fleet to a DRY rental model. This means we would remove the fuel cost (and surcharge) from the rental rates completely, and ask pilots to purchase their own fuel after a flight.

Some Pros:

Rental rates for pilots who actually use the mixture knob can drop by $10-$20/hr :)

Landing practice (including touch n goes) probably saves $5-$10/hr

Basically, a fairer model, since you pay for what you use.

Cons:

You need to fuel the plane when you return from a flight -- and if it was a bad one, you may not want to spend the time.

If the last guy didn't fuel you, it becomes a boondoggle to sort out the billing.

We've been running the club planes on a dry basis, and generally, it has worked pretty well. We have had to de-fuel planes a few times, but overall, it seems to be working pretty well. We are open to ideas. :)

More as I know it!

(whew -- we're not bored!)

Blue Skies,

- Mike

More wings!

2011-04-03T17:04:00.001-07:00

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating the newest Private Pilot in the world -- one US Private Pilot Chad M, who scored his wings yesterday in Cessna 739 with DPE Mark D.

Nice work, Chad!

In other news:

Cessna 526 is down for a new oil pump.

Cessna 68U is scooting back across the US with a brand new engine. She will return to the sky in record time.

Cessna 63B will get an oil change this week.

Cessna 17J will be in for annual this week.

Bonanza 11N has a new alternator belt.

The rest are just cruising along.

More as I know it!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

New Wings!

2011-03-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating the newest Private Pilot in the world -- one Private Pilot Charles H., who earned his wings in Cessna 739 with DPE Mark D.

Way to go, Charles!!

In other news...

Cessna 630 is cruising.

Cessna 68U is in TX having her engine changed for a fresh one, pit-stop style. Expect some better climb/cruise rates when she returns, as she works on a fresh motor!

Cessna 739 is slammed. We are searching for another.

Cessna 63B is flying like mad.

Cessna 17J isn't bothering anyone.

Skylane 073 will be brought down for Annual on 4/1.

Bonanza 11N is ripping up the sky.

The weather is goofy lately -- but it could be worse. Our friends in TX report "freezing clouds at 700 feet" -- yuck!

It'll be hot and hazy soon enough. :)

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Aeronautical Decision Making...

2011-03-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

I ran across an amazing and not-at-all reported news item which illustrates perfectly just what it means to be Pilot in Command.

As you may recall, every Pilot, from C150 to the largest Boeing, to Military machines, is the master of his or her domain at all times, and is the ultimate authority and person responsible for the safe outcome of every flight undertaken.

Easy to put into words.. but check out this account of a Delta pilot who was on approach to Tokyo in a Boeing 767, when ATC went into panic mode after a certain earthquake/tsunami:

"I'm currently still in one piece, writing from my room in the Narita crew hotel. It's 8am. This is my inaugural trans-pacific trip as a brand new, recently checked out, international 767 Captain and it has been interesting, to say the least, so far. I've crossed the Atlantic three times so far so the ocean crossing procedures were familiar.

By the way, stunning scenery flying over the Aleutian Islands. Everything was going fine until 100 miles out from Tokyo and in the descent for arrival. The first indication of any trouble was that Japan air traffic control started putting everyone into holding patterns. At first we thought it was usual congestion on arrival. Then we got a company data link message advising about the earthquake, followed by another stating Narita airport was temporarily closed for inspection and expected to open shortly (the company is always so positive).

From our perspective things were obviously looking a little different. The Japanese controller's anxiety level seemed quite high and he said expect "indefinite" holding time. No one would commit to a time frame on that so I got my copilot and relief pilot busy looking at divert stations and our fuel situation, which, after an ocean crossing is typically low.

It wasn't long, maybe ten minutes, before the first pilots started requesting diversions to other airports. Air Canada, American, United, etc. all reporting minimal fuel situations. I still had enough fuel for 1.5 to 2.0 hours of holding. Needless to say, the diverts started complicating the situation.

Japan air traffic control then announced Narita was closed indefinitely due to damage. Planes immediately started requesting arrivals into Haneada, near Tokyo, a half dozen JAL and western planes got clearance in that direction but then ATC announced Haenada had just closed. Uh oh! Now instead of just holding, we all had to start looking at more distant alternatives like Osaka, or Nagoya.

One bad thing about a large airliner is that you can't just be-pop into any little airport. We generally need lots of runway. With more planes piling in from both east and west, all needing a place to land and several now fuel critical ATC was getting over-whelmed. In the scramble, and without waiting for my fuel to get critical, I got my flight a clearance to head for Nagoya, fuel situation still okay. So far so good. A few minutes into heading that way, I was"ordered" by ATC to reverse course. Nagoya was saturated with traffic and unable to handle more planes (read- airport full). Ditto for Osaka.

With that statement, my situation went instantly from fuel okay, to fuel minimal considering we might have to divert a much farther distance. Multiply my situation by a dozen other aircraft all in the same boat, all making demands requests and threats to ATC for clearances somewhere. Air Canada and then someone else went to "emergency" fuel situation. Planes started to heading for air force bases. The nearest to Tokyo was Yokoda AFB. I threw my hat in the ring for that initially. The answer - Yokoda closed! no more space.

By now it was a three ring circus in the cockpit, my copilot on the radios, me flying and making decisions and the relief copilot buried in the air charts trying to figure out where to go that was within range while data link messages were flying back and forth between us and company dispatch in Atlanta. I picked Misawa AFB at the north end of Honshu island. We could get there with minimal fuel remaining. ATC was happy to get rid of us so we cleared out of the maelstrom of the Tokyo region. We heard ATC try to send planes toward Sendai, a small regional airport on the coast which was later the one I think that got flooded by a tsunami.

Atlanta dispatch then sent us a message asking if we could continue to Chitose airport on the Island of Hokkaido, north of Honshu. Other Delta planes were heading that way. More scrambling in the cockpit - check weather, check charts, check fuel, okay. We could still make it and not be going into a fuel critical situation ... if we had no other fuel delays. As we approached Misawa we got clearance to continue to Chitose. Critical decision thought process. Let's see - trying to help company - plane overflies perfectly good divert airport for one farther away...wonder how that will look in the safety report, if anything goes wrong.

Suddenly ATC comes up and gives us a vector to a fix well short of Chitose and tells us to standby for holding instructions. Nightmare realized. Situation rapidly deteriorating. After initially holding near Tokyo, starting a divert to Nagoya, reversing course back to Tokyo then to re-diverting north toward Misawa, all that happy fuel reserve that I had was vaporizing fast. My subsequent conversation, paraphrased of course...., went something like this:

"Sapparo Control - Delta XX requesting immediate clearance direct to Chitose, minimum fuel, unable hold."

"Negative Ghost-Rider, the Pattern is full" <<< top gun quote <<<

"Sapparo Control - make that - Delta XX declaring emergency, low fuel, proceeding direct Chitose"

"Roger Delta XX, understood, you are cleared direct to Chitose, contact Chitose approach....etc...."

Enough was enough, I had decided to preempt actually running critically low on fuel while in another indefinite holding pattern, especially after bypassing Misawa, and played my last ace...declaring an emergency. The problem with that is now I have a bit of company paperwork to do but what the heck.

As it was - landed Chitose, safe, with at least 30 minutes of fuel remaining before reaching a "true" fuel emergency situation. That's always a good feeling, being safe. They taxied us off to some remote parking area where we shut down and watched a half dozen or more other airplanes come streaming in. In the end, Delta had two 747s, my 767 and another 767 and a 777 all on the ramp at Chitose. We saw two American airlines planes, a United and two Air Canada as well. Not to mention several extra Al Nippon and Japan Air Lines planes.

Post-script - 9 hours later, Japan air lines finally got around to getting a boarding ladder to the plane where we were able to get off and clear customs. - that however, is another interesting story.

By the way - while writing this - I have felt four additional tremors that shook the hotel slightly - all in 45 minutes.

Cheers, J.D."

Great piloting, great decision making, and I hope that each and every one of us is prepared to stare down ATC and get our way each and every time we need it, even if it means breaking the rules, declaring emergency, and signing off from our IFR flight and landing at a nearby Air Force Base.

Kudos to this unnamed pilot. He had the chops, and a few hundred souls certainly owe him a debt of gratitude. That we didn't hear about a single problem or even serious fuel emergency during the recent crisis is testament to a well-trained, iron-nerved support network and cadre of pilots doing the right thing -- because it was the right thing.

I love it.

In other news.. :)

Riverside Airport is having their annual airshow this saturday the 26th. If the weather is junk or you aren't flying, feel free to swing by and see some neat airplanes, displays, and maybe grab a tasty lunch.

More info available here.

Fly safe -- and if you need to, fly alpha! :)

Blue Skies,

- Mike

A week of wings...

2011-03-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating two more pilots who earned their wings this week!

First, U.S. Private Pilot John H earned his wings in Cessna 739 with DPE Mark D! Way to go, John!!

Second, a new Instrument Rated pilot, Liz C., earned her blindfold in Cessna 739 with DPE Andrea E.! Nice work, Liz!!

Bizarre weather lately, but plenty of folks up playing in it! Grab some sky!

See ya!

- Mike

blindfolds, boxes, bravos

2011-03-15T11:43:00.001-07:00

Pilots!

I love spring! Check out some things I know about:

First and foremost, please join me in congratulating the newest IFR-rated Pilot in the world, one Brandon R., who earned his blindfold in his Cessna 150 with DPE Andrea E.

Way to go, Brandon!

In other news...

CFI Marlon C. is off to spin turbines and cargo boxes for Ameriflight and is no longer available for bookings. Good luck, Marlon! We'll miss you!

Cessna 63B is tearing up the skies already, and reports are that she's doing great.

We are considering a Warrior/Archer in lieu of another 739, but the hunt continues on either.

==

We have lots of flying to do. And soon the planes and weather to do it in!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

A little happy dance on the tarmac

2011-03-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

I know what you were thinking as you read month after month that we were seeking an R model to replace Cessna 1ES. You were thinking "horse feathers! Show me the airplane! How hard can it be?"

Surprisingly, it has been quite hard. As we have navigated a labyrinth of shady sellers, misrepresented damage, logged oddities, unlogged oddities, and a mangy collection of winged contraptions -- we have finally found a winner.

Meet Cessna 63B

She is a Cessna 172 R model, complete with color IFR GPS, Autopilot, and all of the trimmings. 63B fills a key piece of our lineup -- the "best steam gauge trainer aircraft you can get" -- and will be available on the line this week! We are shaking out a few bugs and getting everything right. She sits on the ramp at Corona currently, ready for your eyes and soon your wings.

Whew!

We have 2 more additions to the fleet planned shortly, but it is nice to at least say that there was a decent fish in the sea out there.

63B's rate has not been set yet, but expect her to slot in right where 1ES was. I honestly don't recall what that was anymore, it's been so long.

==

In some other news...

Cessna 526 has a new radio.

Cessna 630 has had some radio work done and completed her 100hr.

Cessna 68U will be taking a spring vacation for her new engine in 2 weeks. We anticipate her downtime to be 7-10 days at the most. Yes, this is a pit-stop style engine swap.

Cessna 739 has a new landing light and 100hr.

Cessna 63B just got here. :)

Cessna 17J seems to be enjoying her new transponder.

Skylane 073 has a rebuilt nose strut and shimmy damper.

Bonanza 11N is cruising.

As a few of you recall, we did a recent promotion on GroupOn, and one of the folks that we took flying had such a good time, he made a video about it.

Despite its appearance as marketing fluff, I promise that we had nothing to do with the making of this. Complete and spontaneous -- he emailed it to us as a "hey, thanks" sort of note. We were all awestruck.

Chris and Antonio -- thanks for the ride and the video!

See the video here

==

Gas prices are shooting skyward. Our air force is insufficient to stop it, and I'm not even sure who we could drop water balloons on to make it stop. Sorry, flyers. As always, we will do our best to keep the pricing down... but it's not looking good.

The weather, however, is perfection lately.

==

More as I know it!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Woo hoo!

2011-03-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating the newest U.S. Private Pilot in the world -- one Pilot Chuck M., who earned his wings yesterday in Cessna 739 with DPE Andrea E.

Way to go, Chuck!

In other news...

We have a new CFI joining our faculty! Please give a FlyC welcome to Matt C. when you meet him -- Matt is definitely "our" personality, and highly knowledgeable about IFR work, including some of the more experimental and esoteric techniques and weather products available to pilots. Matt is a great addition to the Faculty, and we're happy to have him!

Welcome aboard, Matt!

Some maintenance news I know about:

Cessna 630 will go down for 100hr next week.

Cessna 68U completed her Annual on Monday. She will go down in 3 weeks for engine overhaul. We expect no more than a 10 day downtime.

Cessna 739 will go in her her 100hr soon.

Cessna 17J is sporting her 9th transponder now. We have mailed middle-fingers to Garmin over their uncanny ability to sell us 7-month transponder with 6-month warranties.

Bonanza 11N will go in for Oil Change today.

Skylane 073 has a new ELT battery.

Cessna 526 has a new Radio enroute, due Friday.

We have plans for another Tracon tour, possibly in mid-April. This means that if you missed the last one due to citizenship/security theater, now is the time to get some clearances going. Please email the office at fly@flycorona.com to start the process.

We will select dates based on how long the clearances will take. We understand typically 30 days.

==

We're tired of wind, rain, and hail. Bring out spring already!

Blue Skies!

- Mike

SoCal Approached

2011-02-23T08:41:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

Many thanks to those who joined us for the SoCal TRACON tour on Monday! The comment was that this was the largest turnout EVER from the Empire Sector in the history of the tracon facility -- that's since 1994! Fly Corona pilots rock!

It was great to see that prior accounts of controllers being green scaly beasts of headset-crushing tongue-lashing grumpitude were only half right! It turns out -- it's only when we make them that way!

In seriousness -- it was a great experience, and as suspected, ATC Controllers are not only human, they're just as interested as we are in our flights being successful, and want to help and coach us through their airspace successfully. Playing ATC controller in the 16-scope Training Lab was just icing on the cake, and Bob M and his co-hosts could not have rolled out a better welcome for us.

Thanks SoCal!

We have offered to reciprocate and bring controllers up flying so they can understand "our story", and learn about the G1000 and other doodads we use in addition to SoCal's services.

We will try to get another meet going very soon! This time with advance warning for those with funny-colored passports :)

Also, as suspected, "Pushing Tin" is confirmed to be the worst aviation movie ever made.

==

In other news...

Cessna 630 has a new tire. Ahem.

Cessna 68U has had a radio repair done. She goes in for Annual next week.

Cessna 739 has a new landing light.

Cessna 17J loves her new magnetos.

Skylane 073 has been working for her money lately.

Bonanza 11N continues to rule the sky.

We have made an offer on a 172N similar to 739. We lost the 172R deal, but are still actively searching (sigh)

Folks savvy to the workings of the inter-tubes may have noticed our deal on GroupOn today.

Spring has sprung! With the exception of a few fluffy clouds around, the weather has been crystal clear and simply glorious for us aviators.

Grab some sky!

Cheers,

- Mike

Approach SoCal

2011-02-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

News has been brewing, and I have missed some of it -- apologies in advance!

Here's what I know:

First, 3 checkrides sailed through recently! Please join me in congratulating...

First, new Commercial Pilot John R earned his stripes with DPE Mark D in his TR182 -- Nice work, John!

Second, new Private Pilot Takuji T earned his wings with DPE Mark D in Cessna 630!

And Third, new Private Pilot Gabriel A earned his wings with DPE Mark D in Cessna 68U!

Nice work gentlemen! Just in time for nice weather to play in!

Next... some awesomeness is afoot!

SoCal Approach, as you may or may not know, is the agency responsible for keeping us flying atoms from smashing into one another when the airspace is busy. Also known as a TRACON, our happy and helpful controllers all enjoy air conditioned comfort in San Diego while steering you around the clouds, turbulence, granite, airspace, TFRs, and other pilots -- whether they're on frequency or not.

Whew!

These champions of airspace have opened their doors for a TOUR of their facilities, scopes aglow, and you will have the chance to chat up the ACTUAL controllers who you've ticked off on 135.40 when you barged in on the frequency with your own special request. Awesome!

Pick their brains on best practices, get a taste of THEIR world, and delight in a mutually-appreciated high-five with these controllers -- many of whom are pilots themselves.

It's really a great opportunity.

It's hosted at no cost by TRACON Controller Bob M.

Here's the deal:

You may Fly or Drive to KMYF Mongtomery Field in San Diego. If you drive and have extra seats in your car to shuttle other pilots to the secret TRACON location, that would be great!

You must arrive no later than 9:30AM at the terminal building (at Casa Machado) on Monday, February 21 (President's day for most)

We will arrange transportation from the terminal building to the TRACON building.

You MUST bring a government-issued photo ID, and you MUST be a US Citizen. Foreign Nationals can apply for permission to attend the next event -- it takes a minimum of 30 days (sorry!)

The tour will take appx 90 minutes, and conclude with a lunch at the always-excellent Casa Machado.

Fly Corona is setting up a number of pro-rata shares from both KAJO and KHHR if you are interested in flying down (the only stylish way to go)

For more information, to RSVP (space is limited to about 20 pilots and friends), or to learn about pro-rata arrangements, please inquire with Beth at beth@flycorona.com

Some maintenance things I know about:

Cessna 630 is cruising.

Cessna 68U is too.

Cessna 739 has a new landing light and vacuum pump which will be installed Monday. An EGT probe is on order also.

Cessna 17J has new magnetos. Mag drops are now reported to be "money"

Bonanza 11N has a new battery on order.

Skylane 073 is hopping around airports.

That's all I know at the moment. More as I learn it!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Back to Normal!

2011-01-25T17:10:00.000-08:00

(or as normal as it gets around here)

Pilots!

I have news.

First, and very importantly, the following note from Airport Management:

The airport should be back open to normal hours tomorrow, Wednesday the 26th. Double check NOTAMS to be sure. Lights are to be fixed for night operations however double check with the office or check the ATIS & NOTAMS

Game on!

I also have news in maintenanceland:

Cessna 526 is ready to fly.

Cessna 630 has had a radio adjustment.

Cessna 68U has completed her 100hr inspection.

Cessna 739 has completed her 100hr inspection.

Cessna 17J will be down tomorrow for AD compliance and a phase check.

Skylane 073 is shiny and wants to fly more.

Bonanza 11N isn't bothering anyone.

The astute pilots in the crowd may have noticed a Cessna in the list which doesn't belong. Here is the story:

Due to overwhelming and unexpected demand on our schedule, particularly with Cessna 630, we have secured access to a C150 on a limited basis for time-building and extended full-time usage.

The rules for Cessna 526 are: long-term time-building only. Dry rate only. Minimum 5 hours per day.

We are hoping that having access to 526 will avoid the 2 and 3-month-long chunks of time which time-builders are eating out of the schedule, and this will free up the normal fleet for training service. If our experiment goes well, we will make a C172 or two available under the same procedure, and we will have a nice and tidy schedule.

Comments are welcomed, as always. Inquire with the office if you have a desire to fly Cessna 526, and we will provide additional details.

==

We are currently performing a Pre-buy on a new 172 of "739" caliber as we speak.

We are #2 in line to perform a Pre-buy on a 172R of "1ES" caliber. Fingers crossed!

It's Osh time again!

(already? geez!)

As you may or may not be aware, every year we lead a pilgrimage to Osh Kosh, Wisconsin, also known as Mecca for Pilots, and drink in aviation, hideously bland salsa, and perfect margaritas for 24 hours a day, over the course of an amazing week. We rent a house at the North 40, have a selection of rental cars, and really do the week up right.

If you don't know what Osh Kosh is, stop. Read here. Then return, more excited.

As usual, we are looking for a preliminary headcount so that we can arrange aircraft and house(s). Here is the drill:

We make our aircraft available for the cost of fuel only to everyone. This year, I am anticipating possibly the S35, maaaybe the G36, and if needed, the E33 or a B33. Yes, we travel in Beech Bonanzas to Osh.

We share "leg" time in both directions, and if we have multiple planes, will fly in loose formation.

We will leave on Saturday, July 23rd, early AM, and will return by the following Friday, July 28, or Saturday July 29 at the latest -- only one week off of work, and a day or two to recoup.

I expect that this year, the fuel kitty will be ~$600 per person. A private room in the air-conditioned party house runs $500 for the 5 nights, and camping "under-wing" is possible for $125 per plane, pooled amongst those who are camping. Typically a pilot will fly 6 or 7 legs, earn 8-10 hours of HP/Complex time, and see the USA from somewhere between 3,500 - 15,500 feet!

If you would like to reserve an "interest" in the flight, please drop me a line at mike@flycorona.com.

It will be helpful if you can let me know:

1. Your interest in flying with us to Osh Kosh, and number in your party if more than one.
2. Your interest in the house or underwing camping.
3. Whether you will need a High Performance or Complex endorsement prior to flight.
4. Any specific training items you would like to tackle during your flight leg (IFR enroute, approach practice, mountain flying, night flying, making crop circles, etc.)

I will start a list, and we will circle back around April or May with some planning and will request confirmation and funds at that time!

I hope you can join us on a truly epic adventure!

==

That's about everything I know for the moment. Let's kick off a great year of flying!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Sneaky wings...

2011-01-12T10:18:00.001-08:00

Pilots!

We missed someone who earned their wings last week, and I did not learn about it until just now!

Please join me in a belated "congrats" for Private Pilot Rick S, who earned his wings on the 8th in Cessna 739!

Nice work, Rick!Sorry we missed ya the first time! :)

==

Additionally, some guy named Elian earned his ATP SE and ME last week as well. The boy is busy!

Nice work, Elian!

==

Windy today! Hang onto your hair!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Double upgrade!

2011-01-07T07:03:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

I come bearing gifts!

First, please join me in congratulating the newest IFR Pilot in the world, one Blindfolded Pat R., who scored his IR chops yesterday in Cessna 17J with DPE Mark D -- yep, at Chino. Way to go, Pat!

Pat has been practicing things like the SOGGE-1 arrival and the SPLASH-A approach lately. I am especially happy that we were able to get it done for Pat, despite the mess.

An extra Kudo to Elian for pulling out the stops to get this done.

==

I have other news as well...

I received this tidbit in the mail this morning:

Today is Thursday, January 6th at 6:00 p.m. The present water level at the Prado dam is 514 ft. The airport will be open daily from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm for tenants and clean-up volunteers only. The runway will be open Friday, January 7th for departures and landings from 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Inspections of buildings, hangars and structures located on the airport are under way. At this time, Access Only - Yellow Tags have been approved for the following buildings: 1909, 1911, 1913, 1917, 1921, 1925, 1931, 1935, 1939, 1943, 1947, 1951, 1955, 1961 1963, 1967, 1965, 1969, and 1971.

This means... if the news holds, we will be retrieving our flythings today, and the weekend is game on, back to normal -- grab those bookings and let's fly! finally!

If for some reason the runway does NOT re-open, we will remain at Chino, but we will re-instate the schedule and open the planes for solo flights regardless. We will likely just staff an office person there fulltime.

==

Rain or shine, we'll see ya this weekend!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Castaways

2011-01-05T19:01:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

Finally a little sanity (a smidge!) has been restored to the airport. Here is what I know, and how it affects our goal of normalcy.

First, the Airport is open to tenants and customers only, daily, from about 8am until the Corona Police decide they've had enough of your face. Really. Our entire office staff is being evicted every afternoon at random points in the day, for no real reason at all.

Our friend Scott was threatened with arrest while he did maintenance at the witching hour of 6pm in our hangar.

It's a weird way to run a business. I do apologize to those left out in the cold who call -- for the moment, the only reliable way to get through is:

1. Call, leave a message, and we will get to it as soon as we can. We are fielding about 50-60 calls daily, and we have a reduced timeframe to return them -- we're doing our best, honest!

2. Email fly@flycorona.com and we'll reply as soon as we can.

I wish I had better information for you, but it seems to change with the wind and the city's mood.

It's not all sour grapes at the ranch, though. I have some good news:

We have successfully extracted Bonanza 11N from AJO and she now sits in Chino at Threshold Aviation. Feel free to book her up and fly her if you'd like. The plane logbook is inside.

Threshhold closes at 8pm nightly, and they have requested that we fly while they are open only -- no night flights.

For those of you who are time-building under a tight schedule (flying appx 60+ hours per month), we have a new Cessna 150 available. We will not train from this aircraft, but our hope is that having access to this one will alleviate schedule strain on poor 630, who is becoming a popular runabout.

This other C150 is only available on a dry lease basis with higher than normal daily minimums. Feel free to inquire if you wish to avail yourself of this aircraft.

Carlos, Fernando, and Kevin have great videos of the water-departure shortfield takeoffs on facebook. Yikes!

The current thinking is that the airport may re-open this weekend. I give this a 25% chance only. The following weekend, however, we plan to return to normal operation at Corona. We hope. 90% chance of that. We are prepared to operate from CNO as long as necessary.

We're almost through this crisis. Thanks to all for weathering it (ha ha) with us!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Soggy but warm...

2010-12-30T12:45:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

The water level at Corona has not receded as promised, and we are left with a lagoon here at Corona Airport.

Armed with the 1,000 feet of usable non-slimy tarmac, we successfully evacuated all but one of our aircraft (sorry 11N!) to Chino, at the home of our friends at Threshold aviation and DPE Mark D.

We anticipate conducting flights based from CNO, primarily for dual training. Our CFIs have the keys and are conducting operations -- if you've been sidelined without reason, please call a CFI and arrange things.

Unfortunately, solo/renter pilots -- because we have no office support at Chino, we don't want to saddle Threshold with administrata -- please call the office for bookings, and we will arrange it for you.

Consider the schedule "invalid" for Chino flights. We only anticipate this situation existing for a week, two max. :)

We are grateful to Threshold providing us a dry spot to fly out of, please be kind to their facilties and personnel -- but definitely poke your head into the hangar and ogle Mark's collection of L29 fighter trainer jets. Hubba hubba!

==

More as I know it!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Float Corona now offers ASES ratings...

2010-12-23T15:23:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

Let me just save a few thousand words right off the bat with some neat pictures...

As you can see, Mother Nature has turned our friendly little airport into a waterpark this week -- what a mess! The airport is expected to remain closed through the weekend -- sorry Christmas flyers!

==

It was with a herculean effort from our own Carlos C, Ricardo C, Chris C, Nick K, Fernando P, and Dylan A, as well as several of the Airport personalities, that we evacuated nearly 400 aircraft to the "dry side" of the airport -- we have even commandeered Butterfield park for aircraft storage.

Thanks, guys!

The water level has stabilized for now, but there are more rains on the horizon. If the Prado Dam does it's job and allows more outflow, we'll be fine. Why it has been running at 1/3 capacity this entire time, only an Army Corps of Engineers Colonel knows.

Our maintenance hangars are dry, and the office is dry -- damp, but dry. We have relocated our tooling and equipment, and moved many items to "high ground" -- including our 7 Office PCs. The servers remain on the 14th floor at One Wilshire's peering point downtown, and if they flood, we all have problems of a more biblical proportion.

==

It has been suggested that we change our Demo Flight to something more along these lines:

...Cheeky, cheeky monkeys. :)

I would like to take a moment to say a few things:

First, Airplanes are replaceable, people are not. This flood, even if it erases our entire airport and business for a few months, has claimed no lives, it has not impoverished anyone, nor displaced anyone. Please keep perspective where it belongs. People are what matter, and none were harmed in the making of the KAJO Slosh n Slide fun park. :)

(That having been said, I hope we can all talk about Mike A's inflatable raft and oars for QUITE some time -- Fly Corona's mobile Aircraft Maintenance Boat begins operation today. :D )

Second, the pilot community is one of my favorites, and this week reminds me of why. Everyone was out in force, helping their neighbors box up hangar contents, tow aircraft, secure aircraft, or just being available to make someone else's life a little more pleasant. While these events tend to be scatter-brained and not well organized, at the end of the day, everyone is laughing about it and telling hangar tales -- even if their hangar is under 8 feet of water. I'm proud to be part of it.

Third, for those who keep asking about our business, this is not our first Rodeo. We have endured this before -- in 2005 to be exact, and we will get everybody flying as soon as practicable. We do apologize for the inconvenience, however, it has been very nice to hear from our friends from across the country, and in fact, the world -- who inquired to find out how we were. It was even nice to see some friends at Removed Forum #1 inquiring. (Thanks, Lee -- we're fine! ;) )

So if I had one wish, I would ask that you focus on the things that matter -- friends, family, camaraderie, and the Christmas Spirit. Let the insurance underwriters worry about our aluminum playthings, and know that we'll be back in action the instant the airport re-opens.

Happy Holidays, my flying friends, and we will see you in 2011!

==

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Soggy Times...

2010-12-21T13:34:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

...yuck!

I don't know who ordered up THIS MUCH rain, but we're on a flood alert at the airport again. Not much flying happening at the ranch. Wear your galoshes! :)

Since no flying is getting done, we are taking the opportunity to catch up on a few items. Here's what I know:

Cessna 630 is in for 100hr. She is due out today.

Cessna 68U is drenched.

Cessna 739 wants an umbrella.

Cessna 17J is in for 100hr. She is due out tomorrow.

Skylane 073 is going to hide in Chino.

Bonanza 11N wishes she was a high-wing for the first time in her life.

We have made a new/old addition to the office staff. You will see a familiar face in the office on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays starting soon.

==

The office will be closing early on Friday, and will be closed all-day Saturday in observance of Christmas. Pilots, after-hours procedures will apply. Inquire with the office if you are not familiar with these.

Please have a safe, warm, and dry holiday season!

Blue Skies... soon! :)

- Mike

Happy 107th Birthday!

2010-12-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

It has been absolutely sleepy around the ranch lately, and even though we're doing a bit of flying, there's just nothing going on... that I know about. :)

Today commemorates the 107th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' flight at Kitty Hawk, ushering in the golden age of aviation, and the loss of Saturdays to hanging out at the airport. Thanks, guys!

Wikipedia has one of the better write-ups about it, despite Jimmy Wales' sad-clown banner at the top:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Flyer

Worth a read.

==

Some other news I know about:

Cessnas 17J and 630 will be in for 100hr this week.
Everything else seems to be behaving. How boring!

We are closing in on the first of two C172s we plan to add to the fleet this winter.

There is even a rumor that we may add a C150.

The office will be closed for a half-day on December 24, and of course, all day on December 25. After-hours procedures will be in effect.

Fly safely, everyone, and enjoy the holiday season! 2011 looks like it will be a great one!

==

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Wings galore!

2010-11-22T15:24:00.001-08:00

Pilots!

Scuzzy weather means nothing to those who want their wings badly enough!

Please join me in congratulating not one, but two successful pilots:

First, the newest instrument-rated pilot in the world -- Lisa L. scored her blindfold yesterday afternoon in Cessna 739 with DPE Mark D.. waaaay to go, Lisa!

And second, another blindfold -- please join me in congratulating Pat S., who scored his instrument rating yesterday in... Cessna 739 and also with DPE Mark D.

Nice work, Pat!

Better weather is promised this week. We'll see if that holds...

More as I know it...

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Only a little Santa Ana...

2010-11-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

What a week! On top of great weather, cool temperatures, and fun flying -- we have just enough wind strangeness to keep things interesting.

For those who missed it, our movie night on Thursday was held inside Bobby A's -- Bobby was generous enough to stay open until 9:30pm and allowed us to hoist a large screen and create a "drive-in" feeling with booths and tables all aimed at the movie. Bobby's excellent burgers, drinks, and I believe I counted TWO Banana Splits made it a great time.

Way better than the 40 degrees in the hangar! Also, the movie selection didn't suck -- nice one, Jake!

Bobby has indicated he'd love to roll out the red carpet for us again -- so look for a new Winter lineup of movie selections coming soon.

Which brings up a good topic of conversation. We've been hosting these movies on Thursday evenings -- but is there a better night you'd like to come and hang out with our friends and pilots? Let me know!

In other news...

Cessna 630 is cruising along.

Cessna 68U has had her oil filter adapter re-gasketed. I am told the oil leak situation has been eliminated.

Cessna 739 has a new VOR indicator.

Cessna 17J cruises.

Skylane 073 is back to IFR readiness.

Bonanza 11N has a new OAT probe on order, and has a new ignition switch. This has cured the hard-starting issues.

Bonanza 6SK is hiding around the ranch. You may see her up playing in the sky.

We may have a new 172R on the line as soon as next week. With a Garmin 430 even. Cross fingers and say incantations. We've had real bad luck with sellers lately, so this may jinx the deal. I hope not.

==

That's about all I know of at the moment.

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Big Guns

2010-11-07T11:46:00.000-08:00

Pilots,

I think we need a new name for funky weather and clouds which only arrive on Saturdays. It's particularly cruel that, for the 3rd weekend in a row, nice weather has preceeded a generally snotty Saturday. There is nothing meaner for those of us trapped indoors for the week to stare out and plan a weekend of flying, only to have it snatched away by low clouds, goofy winds, or otherwise poor conditions.

Maybe we can call this phenomenon Cumulo-spoilsportus. What odd conditions yesterday. We still got a lot of flying done, but with the winds at 290 19G23KT, some of the approaches were... pucker-worthy.

Anyway...

While looking at a lot of 172Rs and SPs to add to the flightline recently, we came across something interesting for the Wingfleet Flying Club. Something special, even. Something arriving this week.

Meet Six Sierra Kilo.

6SK is a 2006 Beechcraft Bonanza G36TN aircraft. Six seats. 300 Horsepower. Turbo-normalized. Air-conditioned. The sort of plane you can take to Las Vegas in 50 minutes. San Francisco in 90 minutes. Salt Lake City in 150. The sort of aircraft that is perfect for a weekend of wine-tasting in Napa, a short-notice client meeting, or just shooting "the bird" to the airlines and the TSA while cruising in the Flight Levels and listening to your choice of XM station. Everything being a Pilot should be. :)

Numbers for participation in 6SK is being finalized, but will be in the neighborhood of $700/mo and $109/hr dry. Existing Wingfleet members will also get a special swap rate for usage and checkout. Since this aircraft was $750,000 new, and has nearly $100,000 in added STC upgrades, we think that's an excellent value.

6SK will include a hangar with personal locking cabinets for flight gear, take-out/re-hangar service and probably a few other touches as we think of them.

This aircraft will be limited to 5 members. There are also particular minimums for non-members to fly her (starting with 750 hours' total time, and some other particulars)

Email Mike if you'd be interested in more information or a demo flight.

==

Some other news around the ranch:

Cessna 630 has had an intercom adjustment.

Cessna 68U has had radio work done.

Cessna 739 has a new nav1, and should be in "IFR Fighting form" again.

Cessna 17J is cruising.

Skylane 073 will have instrumentation improvements done this week.

Bonanza 11N has a new ignition switch.

AOPA's Aviation Summit is this coming Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. We'll be there on Saturday, and I've never been, so I have no idea what to expect. Some people have billed it as the "west coast Osh Kosh", but I think that's nonsense. Osh is simply unbeatable. :)

AOPA Summit is at KLGB Long Beach airport from 9:00am - 5:00pm.

We'll report in on what we find, just in case it's awesome. At the very least, though, it's a few days of aviation -- and like fishing, the worst day of aviation beats the best day at work.

More information available here.

==

We are looking for some assistance for the Office. If you know someone uniquely qualified to assist our constant battle with paperwork, checklists, and aircraft - drop us a line.

==

That's all I know right now. More as I learn it.

Blue Skies,

- Mike

We aint afraid of no clouds...

2010-10-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Please join me in giving a rousing hurrah to the newest Instrument-rated Pilot in the world!

Too cloudy for a checkride? I don't think so! Not if you're IFR-rated Gerd E., who brassed up to the cumulus and showed it who's boss. Gerd was joined by DPE Mark D in Cessna 17J for a proper set of approaches and other blindfolded stunts behind the yoke.

Nice work, Gerd!

In other news...

Cessna 630 is cruising.

Cessna 68U's oil consumption is running at appx 1 qt per 2-4 hours. Please keep an eye on the oil levels in the motor. We may give her a final re-seal before the new motor is installed.

Cessna 739's "one day turnaround" promise from the avionics tech seemed to be a pack of lies. 739 is running around with only one nav head. We'll send the brute squad over on Monday. It's not like we're all *that* surprised.

Cessna 17J is humming along.

Bonanza 11N is not offending anyone.

Skylane 073 is still stylish.

==

We are performing a pre-purchase inspection on both an A36TN and a G36TN for the club.

We are stilllllll hunting a good 172R or 172S for the line.

No word on the Archer we were considering.

...why it is so difficult to buy planes, I'll never know.

We have an old friend, Olivier, staying with us to build some time this winter, as well as work on his English. Olivier is a French pilot who will be flying on an FAA conversion license -- he's a good pilot, but he's here primarily to talk like we do -- if you see a young fellow sitting around, hiding in some charts, please feel free to introduce yourself and stretch his "Anglais" a little bit, he will be appreciative.

You may see Olivier working on the line. We thought we could start his vocabulary off with the phrase "aircraft belly wash" -- a most important pilot term. :)

==

That's all I know about for the moment. I am ready for the better weather we usually get right about now.

Blue Skies.... we miss you.

- Mike

Stay East, young man!

2010-10-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

"Cessna 17J, traffic, 12 o'clock, converging, an F16..."

Pilots!

El Presidente is in town, and you know what that means... its TFR time!

FDC 0/1912 ZLA PART 1 OF 5 .. FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, OCTOBER 22, 2010 LOCAL. THIS NOTAM REPLACES NOTAM 0/1878 DUE TO CORRECTION TO DESCRIPTION OF RINGS TO PARAGRAPHS A AND B. PURSUANT TO 49 USC 40103(B), THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) CLASSIFIES THE AIRSPACE DEFINED IN THIS NOTAM AS 'NATIONAL DEFENSE AIRSPACE'. PILOTS WHO DO NOT ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES MAY BE INTERCEPTED, DETAINED AND INTERVIEWED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT/SECURITY PERSONNEL. ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL ACTIONS MAY ALSO BE TAKEN AGAINST A PILOT WHO DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OR ANY SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR PROCEDURES ANNOUNCED IN THIS NOTAM: A) THE FAA MAY TAKE ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION, INCLUDING IMPOSING CIVIL PENALTIES AND THE SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION OF AIRMEN CERTIFICATES; OR B) THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MAY PURSUE CRIMINAL CHARGES, INCLUDING CHARGES UNDER TITLE 49 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE, SECTION 46307; OR C) THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MAY USE DEADLY FORCE AGAINST THE AIRBORNE AIRCRAFT, IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE AIRCRAFT POSES AN IMMINENT SECURITY THREAT. PURSUANT TO TITLE 14, SECTION 91.141 OF THE CODE OF FEDERAL END PART 1 OF 5 FDC 0/1912 ZLA PART 2 OF 5 .. FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, REGULATIONS, AIRCRAFT FLIGHT OPERATIONS ARE PROHIBITED WITHIN A 35 NMR OF 340500N/1182018W OR THE SMO038007.3 UP TO BUT NOT INCLUDING 18000 FT MSL EFFECTIVE 1010221730 UTC (1030 LOCAL 10/22/10) UNTIL 1010222359 UTC (1659 LOCAL 10/22/10). WITHIN A 8 NMR OF 335638N/1182429W OR THE LAX046001.4 UP TO BUT NOT INCLUDING 18000 FT MSL EFFECTIVE 1010221730 UTC (1030 LOCAL 10/22/10) UNTIL 1010221900 UTC (1200 LOCAL 10/22/10). WITHIN A 8 NMR OF 340126N/1181421W OR THE SMO071010.9 UP TO BUT NOT INCLUDING 18000 FT MSL EFFECTIVE 1010221800 UTC (1100 LOCAL 10/22/10) UNTIL 1010222230 UTC (1530 LOCAL 10/22/10). WITHIN A 10 NMR OF 341216N/1182134W OR THE VNY085006.7 UP TO BUT NOT INCLUDING 18000 FT MSL EFFECTIVE 1010222130 UTC (1430 LOCAL 10/22/10) UNTIL 1010222345 UTC END PART 2 OF 5 FDC 0/1912 ZLA PART 3 OF 5 .. FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, (1645 LOCAL 10/22/10). WITHIN A 8 NMR OF 335638N/1182429W OR THE LAX046001.4 UP TO BUT NOT INCLUDING 18000 FT MSL EFFECTIVE 1010222300 UTC (1600 LOCAL 10/22/10) UNTIL 1010222359 UTC (1659 LOCAL 10/22/10). EXCEPT AS SPECIFIED BELOW AND/OR UNLESS AUTHORIZED BY ATC IN CONSULTATION WITH THE AIR TRAFFIC SECURITY COORDINATOR VIA THE DOMESTIC EVENTS NETWORK (DEN): A. ALL AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS WITHIN THE 8 NMR AND/OR 10 NMR AREA(S) LISTED ABOVE, KNOWN AS THE INNER CORE(S), ARE PROHIBITED EXCEPT FOR: APPROVED LAW ENFORCEMENT, MILITARY AIRCRAFT DIRECTLY SUPPORTING THE UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE (USSS) AND THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, APPROVED AIR AMBULANCE FLIGHTS, AND REGULARLY SCHEDULED COMMERCIAL PASSENGER AND ALL-CARGO CARRIERS OPERATING UNDER ONE OF THE FOLLOWING END PART 3 OF 5 FDC 0/1912 ZLA PART 4 OF 5 .. FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, TSA-APPROVED STANDARD SECURITY PROGRAMS/PROCEDURES: AIRCRAFT OPERATOR STANDARD SECURITY PROGRAM (AOSSP), FULL ALL-CARGO AIRCRAFT OPERATOR STANDARD SECURITY PROGRAM (FACAOSSP), MODEL SECURITY PROGRAM (MSP), TWELVE FIVE STANDARD SECURITY PROGRAM (TFSSP) ALL CARGO, OR ALL-CARGO INTERNATIONAL SECURITY PROCEDURE (ACISP) AND ARE ARRIVING INTO AND/OR DEPARTING FROM 14 CFR PART 139 AIRPORTS. ALL EMERGENCY/LIFE SAVING FLIGHT (MEDICAL/LAW ENFORCEMENT/FIREFIGHTING) OPERATIONS MUST COORDINATE WITH ATC PRIOR TO THEIR DEPARTURE AT 858-537-5900 TO AVOID POTENTIAL DELAYS. B. FOR OPERATIONS WITHIN THE AIRSPACE BETWEEN THE 8 NMR AND/OR 10 NMR AND 35 NMR AREA(S) LISTED ABOVE, KNOWN AS THE OUTER RING(S): ALL AIRCRAFT OPERATING WITHIN THE OUTER RING(S) LISTED ABOVE ARE LIMITED TO AIRCRAFT ARRIVING OR DEPARTING LOCAL AIRFIELDS, AND WORKLOAD PERMITTING, ATC MAY AUTHORIZE TRANSIT OPERATIONS. AIRCRAFT MAY NOT LOITER. ALL AIRCRAFT MUST BE ON AN ACTIVE IFR OR END PART 4 OF 5 FDC 0/1912 ZLA PART 5 OF 5 .. FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, VFR FLIGHT PLAN WITH A DISCRETE CODE ASSIGNED BY AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) FACILITY. AIRCRAFT MUST BE SQUAWKING THE DISCRETE CODE PRIOR TO DEPARTURE AND AT ALL TIMES WHILE IN THE TFR AND MUST REMAIN IN TWO-WAY RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WITH ATC. C. THE FOLLOWING OPERATIONS ARE NOT AUTHORIZED WITHIN THIS TFR: FLIGHT TRAINING, PRACTICE INSTRUMENT APPROACHES, AEROBATIC FLIGHT, GLIDER OPERATIONS, SEAPLANE OPERATIONS, PARACHUTE OPERATIONS, ULTRALIGHT, HANG GLIDING, BALLOON OPERATIONS, AGRICULTURE/CROP DUSTING, ANIMAL POPULATION CONTROL FLIGHT OPERATIONS, BANNER TOWING OPERATIONS, SIGHTSEEING OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE TEST FLIGHTS, MODEL AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS, MODEL ROCKETRY, AND UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (UAS). D. FAA RECOMMENDS THAT ALL AIRCRAFT OPERATORS CHECK NOTAMS FREQUENTLY FOR POSSIBLE CHANGES TO THIS TFR PRIOR TO OPERATIONS WITHIN THIS REGION. END PART 5 OF 5
==

Or said another way... "come into my sky, you'll get the pew pew!" -- this is for today from 10:30am until 5:00pm.

So please stay outta that ring of fire.. lest the fighters pay you a visit.

In some other news,

Cessna 630 is cruising happily.

Cessna 68U's new engine is being constructed in our hangar. Expect downtime in the next few weeks to install.

Cessna 739 has undergone some significant radio work recently, with a new DME, and now a new GS receiver.

Cessna 17J is having her flight plan tuning knob changed up.

Bonanza 11N is having a new landing light switch installed. Also a new tire.

Skylane 073 is just cruising.

We expect to add a Bonanza A36 to the club in the next 4 weeks. We are doing due diligence on 3 specific aircraft now.

==

The clouds are leaving. This weather has been nuts.

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Well now, that's more like it...

2010-10-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Enough of this rain and gloom nonsense -- how about something worth toasting and high-fiving about?

Check this out:

First, a huge round of applause and congrats to the newest US Private Pilot in the world, one Pilot Pat Wirt -- who sailed to victory today with DPE Mark D in Bonanza 11N!

That's right... Pat got his license in a HP/Complex. Nice.

Way to go, Pat!

And second... grab your skis and bindings, as we're about to go sloosh into Hades... as our own Mr. Carlos C has earned his blindfold and IFR Rating. Waaaay to go, Carlos!

(The numerous betting pools on this topic will be resolved later this week :) )

Carlos earned the IFR with DPE Mark D in Cessna 17J -- and just in time for all of the clouds to depart.

Nice one, Carlos!

In some other news:

No tomatoes were thrown at the FAA Safety Seminar on tire changes today.

Cessna 68U has a weak magneto making her more susceptible to foulled plugs and hard starts. We will have her in service cautiously, and we will swap out the mags on Monday.

Cessna 739 goes in for her Annual Inspection next week

Cessna 630 doesn't seem to be bothering anyone.

Cessna 17J should have her PFD knobs fixed next week -- time permitting.

Skylane 073 is cruising along.

Bonanza 11N is rocking out.

Such nice weather this weekend, and in fact, all next week. Grab some air therapy!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Goofy weather...

2010-10-07T15:05:00.001-07:00

Pilots!

Who got some tasty actual in the last week? At least it's better than 114 degrees F, eh?

Here are a few things I know:

The Aircraft Spruce SuperSale is this Saturday! Usually some decent deals, always some free lunch, and I'll be discussing preventative Maintenance, and speaking about tire changes ... something we do quite a lot, and are qualified to discuss. It's a fun way to kill an hour or two.

If that's not your bag, the 99s are hosting a Poker Run! Fly to 5 airports, collect a hand, and support aviation donations for the 99s, a great outfit.

Check it out here: http://coyote99s.com/pokerun.htm

Not much to report in maintenanceland.

Cessna 739 will be receiving a new alternator today. :)

We came very close to getting a 1989 Turbonormalized Bonanza A36 in Wingfleet this week. The search continues. For those interested, the monthly will be appx $450, with dry rates running appx $99. The machine is loaded to the nines, and ready to cruise 205kts up to 25,000'. We will only have a few slots in this one, let us know if you'd be interested.

That's all I can think of. :)

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Santa anas?

2010-09-26T08:46:00.001-07:00

Pilots!

A whole bunch of nothing going on lately, but the winds are finally providing some cause for discussion.

The Santa Ana winds typically arrive in autumn and will cause winds to blow offshore -- meaning we favor runway 7 at Corona, a wild and woolly approach that can challenge the best pilots in high wind speeds -- the trees west of the runway throw up a litany of air pockets that you get to fight through.

I always recommend pilots get some landings in on runway 7 when the wind conditions favor it -- it's great practice, and keeps you on your toes!

In other news...

Cessna 630 completed a 100hr

Cessna 68U completed a 100hr

Cessna 739 has eaten 3 tachometers. We do not understand why. She seems to be holding for the moment.

Cessna 17J isn't bothering anyone

Skylane 073 is cruising

Bonanza 11N has had her yoke "pinned" in place now, no more loosy-goosy yoke bar with the Vee up.

There was a power outage at the airport yesterday, which killed the lights and our Monty-Hall voiced AWSS weather station. (so, some bad, some good) It also coincided with our complete network rewiring project. Some of the office PCs may be out of service until we complete the reconfiguration.

==

We are moving to a "phased" maintenance approach with our planes. You may see 4-hour slices of "maintenance" on the schedule at the last minute -- this will be us getting an advance look at engine, airframe, and wings, each in 4-hour increments. The idea will be to minimize downtime at the 100hr/annual inspections, which often run into 3 days or more.

That's all I know at the moment.

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Mooooovie nite!

2010-09-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

When the weather is this gloomy, how on earth can you get a proper aviation fix?

Watch a movie in an aircraft hangar, that's how. :)

Join us this evening for "The Flyboys" -- which is apparently quite good.

Two boys from a small town find their courage tested when they accidentally stow away aboard an airplane owned by the mob.

Jason and Kyle, friends from different sides of the track, become embroiled in the adventure of their lives when they discover a mysterious airplane at the local airport. The boys sneak aboard for a look but are forced to hide in the luggage compartment when two men climb aboard. Soon they find themselves airborne over the open Arizona desert. After hours in the air the boys unwittingly uncover a bomb in the luggage compartment. But when they burst into the cabin to report their discovery, they find that everyone on board has bailed out. The boys must now take the controls and land the plane themselves. But their troubles are only just beginning...

Sounds like fun! As usual, Bobby A's restaurant will offer snacks and a great burger+soda deal on their tasty Landmark burger. We'll be convening at 6:30 this evening at Bobby A's! The movie will likely start at 7:15 or so.

Experienced movie-goers suggest bringing a chair pad if you have one, as this movie runs nearly 2 hours. :)

...hope to see you there!

In other news...

Cessna 630 is in the radio shop for a new, permanent intercom installation. No more black box to kick around.

Cessna 68U has a new starter.

Cessna 739 completed her 100hr.

Cessna 17J is cruising.

Skylane 073 is not bothering anybody. Thanks, 073!

Bonanza 11N has had her baffling re-sealed to promote lower CHT's.

Great weather for some actual IMC -- today should be the last of the fog.. and we'll return to our lovely heatlamp real soon.

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Farewell Cutlass...

2010-08-31T09:59:00.001-07:00

Pilots,

Bittersweet around the ranch this week, as we got the final arrangement on 25R sorted out, and she is headed for a few months of repairs and a new life in Texas. We are debating her replacement at the moment, with many thoughts leaning towards a PA-28R Arrow, since frog-legs are no longer our favorite RG treat.

With pending FAA rule changes which remove the Comm-SE RG requirement altogether, we are not sure this is a good investment, so we are in a "wait and see" mode. It will be short lived, and it does not impact our hunt for a good R model or similar for the fleet.

For those pursuing Comm-SE, contact the office for solutions we have in mind for you.

Elian was quoted on the scene as saying "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds", and left into the night laughing maniacally.

Not really. :) We'll miss you, 25R!

==

In other news...

A new solo pilot was heard overhead today in 739. Please join me in congratulating Rick S. on taking one huge step closer to Pilothood! We all know this is no small feat. Great work, Rick!

We have rearranged the office to accommodate new air conditioning power, just in time for it to be cold at the airport lately. We are not sure we like the layout yet, and CFI Eddie was quick to point out that we have violated the Feng Shui of the office. Quelle Horreur!

The good news is, the addition of new aircon power means no more stuffy offices, and you'll be greeted with frosty comfort after a flight lesson. Nice.

Not much else around -- man is it sweet flying weather lately.

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Plenty of blame to go around...

2010-08-25T13:54:00.001-07:00

Pilots!

Here's a unique situation which merits some contemplation. Some of you will have already seen this, no doubt.. check it out:

(disclaimer: there are a few F bombs in here -- mind your speakers if you're at work or averse to such displays of vocabulary)

Video - yikes!

Luckily, nobody was hurt.

From reading the assorted fora all jabbering about this incident, it seems a few things were wrong with this situation.

It was an organized local airshow.

The airport was private.

The biplane pilot was either a tenant of the airport, or friends with a tenant and attending the fly-in. (reports on this seem to vary)

The RC pilot was invited by the organizers to provide a demonstration of his 1/2 scale aircraft.

Questions seem to surround...

Why the pilot was doing a fly-by.

Why the RC pilot was on the runway.

Why the organizers did not have "spotters" for traffic conflicts, or a NOTAM regarding the airshow.

...An ugly situation which could have had dire consequences.

Food for thought. Be careful out there -- whatever it is you're piloting.

==

In other news...

If you have not yet seen it, we are putting on our tried and true Preventative Maintenance: Oil Changes Done Right Seminar. You'll get to heckle me as I attempt to describe not only how to exercise your Pilot authority to change an airplane's oil and filter, but we'll actually perform the ooey gooey process. It's not the same as changing the oil on your honda!

Join us September 4 in our Hangar at 11:00am. Snacks will be served. If you are an aircraft owner and are interested in volunteering your aircraft for service, let us know -- there is no charge for labor ever!

Hope to see you there. More information available at The FAASafety website

Beastly hot this week. Our air conditioning is working overtime, and we're trying to keep the water bottles cold. PLEASE stay hydrated, both on the ground and in the air!

Consider flying west for your practices. El Toro and Long Beach both have excellent practice areas which we can use on days like today. It might be worth the extra .3 on the meter.

That's all I know for now. :)

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Flying season...

2010-08-18T09:51:00.001-07:00

Pilots!

I didn't even realize 2 weeks had sailed by until someone called me out -- sorry about that :)

First, please join me in congratulating the newest Private Pilot... as of last Sunday... (sorry) -- Troy L., who earned his wings with DPE Mark D in Cessna 739.

Way to go, Troy!!

In other news...

We are currently revamping a LOT of procedures in the office and hangar, hopefully to the benefit of all. If you have been the victim of sloppy office work, please feel free to drop me a note in any fashion -- we are always looking to improve.

We will even be bringing back the "squawk report" and make it publicly viewable. We are having no luck "fishing for squawks", and do not like them waiting on the 100hr.

We are mired in rewriting our operational checklists and other assorted minutia.

...regardless, here are some things I know about:

Cessna 630 has a new shimmy damper

Cessna 68U is getting a new engine in the next 3-4 weeks. Her current one is cruising along, and we expect 3 days of downtime when our engine gurus are complete.

Cessna 739 has had her pilot's seat repaired.

Cessna 17J doesn't seem to be bothering anyone.

Skylane 073 has new piston rings and has completed her break-in. We have been asked by the engine builder to leave cowl flaps open until CHTs are under 350F. If you are unfamiliar with what this means, please ask a CFI or the office.

Bonanza 11N has a new battery.

A friend of FlyC's lost his medical recently, and we are selling his gorgeous G35 Bonanza V-Tail for him. This is the last and best of the "light" Bonanzas, before they became the thirsty speed-tanks that they currently are. (...and there's nothing wrong with that :) )

We were turning in 138-142kts on average with a burn of 10.1gph, but a light Bo is happy puttering at 125kt and 8gph or 110kt and 6gph -- try that in a Cessna! Also, it does these things in Bonanza comfort.

This G35 has a wealth of impressive features and upgrades, and was very well cared for. She will be on display this week, after we make some maintenance improvements. She's a real sweet flier, and a great inexpensive way to build time if you're interested. Some of the FlyC staff are considering a partnership around her -- ask Jake for details.

==

"Catch me if you can" was much better movie than "Stealth", however, I think 90 minutes is the optimum movie length when one is sitting on metal chairs. September's movie should be fun. :)

Our insurance rules in the renter agreement will be changing, in response to certain aluminum rains last year. We believe the deductible amount will be increased to $5,000, and we are considering requiring renters insurance for freelance CFIs.

We are open to discussion on this point. We do not anticipate these changes affecting anyone at this time, but if there are unintended consequences, I'd like to hear about them.

If you are concerned, renter's insurance sufficient to cover a $5,000 deductible is appx $250 per year.

==

Otherwise, it's playtime in the sky -- nice (if warm) weather abounds -- great for flying!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

We're baaaaaack!

2010-08-03T13:48:00.001-07:00

Pilots!

Those of us involved in the Osh pilgrimage have now mostly caught up on sleep, and now I have some updates to share.

First, some belated congratulations:

Last week, Jonathan S. earned his Private Pilot license in Cessna 739 with DPE Mark D. Nice work, Jonathan!

Also, Sunday, Jake M. earned his Instrument rating in Cessna 739 with DPE Mark D. Well done, Jake!

Maintenanceland:

Cessna 630 should return today or tomorrow with some improvements after a difficult landing.

Cessna 68U completed her 100hr on Friday

Cessna 739 completed her 100hr yesterday.

Cessna 17J is cruising.

Bonanza 11N is back from Osh.

Skylane 073 has a new engine being installed today. ETA is tomorrow or next for her return to service.

We, and specifically, I, am hosting an FAA Safety Seminar on preventative maintenance once again -- this time on tire changes. Feel free to swing into our hangar Saturday at 11am, where we will actually change two main tires on an aircraft, discuss the regulations and responsibilities of a pilot doing this him/herself, and learn some valuable tips and tricks.

Even though we're good at these, it's more than a simple swap. There are a lot of parts involved, and doing it wrong can have dire consequences. Come check us out! Bring tomatoes! :)

Additionally, the FAA has granted this seminar as eligible for 1 wings credit. Learning about bald tires can get you a free Flight Review! Cool!

More info: here

==

We are closing in on a deal for a new plane. Shh. :)

==

It was seemingly drama-free this past week. Thanks everybody! Nice weather and some planes around the ranch should make some nice flying.

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Maintenance Face..

2010-07-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

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

==

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)

==

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!

2010-07-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

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)

==

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.

==

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!!

==

Blue Skies, Stay COOL up there!

- Mike

Mines Biggern Yourn

2010-07-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

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. :)

==

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.

==

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..

2010-07-02T13:44:00.001-07:00

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! :)

==

That's all I know at the moment.

Blue Skies!

- Mike

We can take a hint...

2010-06-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

It's been an interesting few days. Here are some things that I know:

First, a belated congratulations to newly-minted Commercial Pilot Alexander N., who earned his moneywings in Cessna 25R with DPE Mark D.

Nice work, Alexander!

Secondly, a new and well-deserved congratulations to the newest Private Pilot in the world -- one Pilot Ken F., who earned his wings in Cessna 17J with DPE Ken E.

Nice work, Ken!

Some maintenanceland updates:

Cessna 630 has not offended anyone.

Cessna 68U neither.

Cessna 739 completed her 100hr.

Cessna 25R... we'll come back to.

Cessna 17J goes in for 100hr this week. She is in solo-only mode today. (aka "timed out")

Bonanza 11N continues her Annual inspection, and will return next week.

Skylane 073 is stylish.

So, yeah....

I have a thought exercise for you. Let's imagine that you were flying a 172RG around, running some Errands, like ya do when you're a pilot -- and you notice that one of the main gear did not extend fully, robbing you of a green "down" light.

You cycle the gear again, and the same thing. In fact, you notice that the main gear is not actuating at all -- just dangling in the wind.

That sucks.

You go to the emergency gear extension in the POH, and run it very carefully. No change.

Well.. it's time to act like a PIC. There's no procedure in the book, and the aircraft is definitely in an unfriendly state. The good news is, you have 5 hours to parley, and help is just a radio call away.

Kudos to the crew of 25R who were able to radio us for advice, allowing us time to call Cessna Technical Support for some answers. Ultimately, of course, the answer was "Yeah, good luck with that" -- which we on the ground were happy to relay. It was decided to land gear-up at CNO and give the tower plenty of time to prepare "the equipment".

Calling up with "We'll be landing Gear up in 45 minutes" like making a dinner reservation must've been a refreshing change for the tower. I expect they're used to dispatching the mobile dustpan crew in surprise situations only.

CNO Tower was impeccable, and had complete fire and safety crew available, cleared the airspace and both traffic patterns, grounding all aircraft. After a "lower than normal" landing on RWY 21, and a quick evacuation, everybody was able to depart the airplane intact and high-fiving one another. 25R, on the other hand, returns to surgery. :(

I hope we can all act as calmly and collectedly when the chips go down. That is "Pilot in Command" at its finest, and Elian, Cris, and Marian can all teach us a thing or two about keeping composure and getting the job done.

Nice work, guys.

Footnote: You may only give the "Pilot Thumbs Up" if your wheels are down.

More as I know it.

Blue Skies,

- Mike

New wings, new faces

2010-06-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating the newest U.S. Private Pilot in the world -- one Pilot Wayne C., who earned his wings in Cessna 739 with DPE Mark D. Way to go, Wayne!

We have a new CFI to replace Spenser P., who has decided to pursue his true calling and become a Lion Tamer in Kenya. Some would argue this is safer than Flight Instructing :)

Please say Hello to Lorne S., a CFI, CFII, and MEI. Lorne is also an Air Force veteran of 6 years, has an IT degree, and a very sharp sense of humor. We are looking forward to Lorne brightening our doors this summer, and cranking out pilots in his down-to-biz style! He is available for booking starting next week.

Welcome to the FlyC Family, Lorne!

We are throwing wrenches as follows:

Cessna 630 is down Monday and Tuesday for her 100hr.

Cessna 68U has a new new carburetor. She's been taking lessons from Julie.

Cessna 739 completed her 100hr.

Cessna 17J's transponder seems to be holding.

Cessna 25R completed an oil change.

Bonanza 11N will be pulled down for annual soon, possibly this week. We anticipate a 2 week downtime.

Skylane 073 still rocks.

==

To whomever the concerned citizen was who reported a "tan-skinned pilot in the flight school who was reading maps" to the Riverside Police Department -- thanks. You wasted 2 detectives' entire day as they tried to ascertain if our customer was a "terrariss". Unless you thought we were in on the plot, just ask us next time. We'll try to contain our laughter.

(we told the detectives the same thing, btw)

(All FlyC staff are TSA trained and certified annually -- we know what to look for)

Summer is upon us! Haze, Heat, and High Flying Weather! Woo hoo!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Gloomy

2010-06-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

June gloom is here! That means summer haze, and the need for some sporty aviator shades.. Ray-Ban Maverick Edition of course.

Here are some maintenance things I know about:

Cessna 630 is in for her 100hr at the end of this week -- she may skid through the weekend on "Solo only" duty if things get backed up in the hangar, but we hope not -- please check the AV1ATE sheet.

Cessna 68U has had her flaps re-wired and a new carburetor installed.

Cessna 739 is in for her 100hr now. Expected return is on Friday.

Cessna 17J is cruising. Thanks, 17J!

Cessna 25R is looking stylish and keeping the wheels down. Nice work, Pilots!

Skylane 073 is cruising.

Bonanza 11N is coming due on her Annual (July 31), and we are trying to pick a time for a 2-week downtime. Email me if you have an opinion. She has new brakes, tweaked seat rails, and we are working on getting an oil leak addressed and the GPS antenna looked at.

Jake has a Hangar Movie Night planned on July 8 if you'd love to attend and breathe in some aviation with us. :) We will either provide snacks, or Bobby A will (you might prefer Bobby A to us!) -- actual movie selection is TBD at the moment -- taking any suggestions!

That's all I know for now...

Blue Skies,

- Mike

A proper two-armed morning stretch

2010-06-03T07:32:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Hello there. I'm catching up on all of the news from the ranch these past two weeks, and there are some items of note.

First, a very belated congratulations to U.S. Private Pilot Marian P., who earned his wings last week in Cessna 17J. Nice work, Marian!

Some maintenance tidbits:

Cessna 630 will be in for 100hr next week.

Cessna 68U has a new avionics master switch, which we hope will alleviate her radio issues.

Cessna 739 isn't bothering anybody.

Cessna 17J has a new: Transponder, ADAHRS, and Alternator. Toms says this will definitely fix the issue. We say that's great, we'll pay you in 3 months if the issue stays fixed. Their response was unfit to print, but we stuck to our guns. Reports say... So far so good.

Cessna 25R is cruising.

Debbie 11N had her yoke "Vee" flipped to allow more legroom and closer seating position. Also some minor squawks attended as well. We will be eyeing her intermittent GPS next, and scratching more items off of the list.

Skylane 073 returns from a trip to Mexico, where a certain pilot learned about Oil Filler cap security :) I hope Doug won't mind my sharing his epic adventures. What could be cooler??

We have two spots left in our Osh Kosh bash this year! Also one spot in the house... well, the second house, anyway. Here are some more details:

We will be leaving Saturday morning, July 24, and flying two aircraft from Corona: My S35 V-tail Bonanza, and one as-yet-unnamed aircraft of comparable speed. (because we hated waiting last year)

We plan to arrive in Osh on Sunday, after a stay in Iowa or Nebraska or some place rich in cornfields.

We will form up with our comrades in Debbie 11N (coming up from Houston), and our friends in a classic C35 V-tail Bonanza coming from San Francisco, and we will make a little formation into Osh.

We have rented two houses immediately across from the North 40. Air Conditioning, kitchens, proper showers... we will be luxuriating.

We will enjoy the Osh festivities and drink in everything airplane for the week.

Friday morning, we will make the slog homeward. Traditionally, we have made it home the same day after a cruel lashing and mutinous dive through all manner of weather, mountains, and gorgeous vistas.

...a week not to miss. Let me know if you'd be interested in joining us this year! The flight portion is appx $450 in fuel pro-rata, and the house is $100 per night (for 5 nights, for $500 total) -- we'd love to have ya!

That's all I know at the moment.

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Welcome back, retract!

2010-05-21T09:50:00.001-07:00

Pilots!

Please join me in welcoming back Cutlass 25R, who survived months of paperwork headache, parts acquisition nightmares, and even the untimely passing of our FAA Maintenance Inspector. :(

25R is flying and available immediately! We have already done the test flying and she is not just good-to-go, but great-to-go.

(PS don't do that)

Some other things I know:

Cessna 630 is cruising.

Cessna 68U will complete her 100hr today.

Cessna 739 is running fine

Cessna 17J is having intermittent transponder issues. The balance of my thoughts omitted in the interest of good taste.

Skylane 073 has a completely re-done front-end to eliminate all shimmy once and for all.

Bonanza 11N has new main tires, a repaired oil leak, a new vacuum pump, and a few other tweaks. She will go down periodically throughout the week to address small squawks.

==

Should be a decent, if hazy weekend!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Gimme some more!

2010-05-11T06:26:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating the newest IFR-rated Pilot in the world, one Instrument Pilot Ryan S., who earned his blindfold on Sunday in Cessna 739 with DPE Mark D!

Nice work, Ryan!

..in other news..

Cessna 630 will go in for 100hr this week or next

Cessna 68U will go down for an engine swap at the end of this month. It is expected to take appx 3 days. More as we get nearer.

Cessna 739 is not bothering anyone.

Cessna 17J's latest transponder works great.

Bonanza 11N will go down on Thursday for some maintenance, to include an offline GPS, hunt an oil leak, and replace a vacuum pump. Other small tweaks will be done as time allows. We do not expect an extended downtime.

Cessna 073 is cruising.

Cessna 25R was approved by the FAA yesterday for her repairs. We expect her on the line this week. Huzzah!

We are all at the Cessna Pilot Center conference in Las Vegas this week -- our annual pilgrimage to give Martha King noogies on her chia-head. The office will be acting in a reduced capacity until Thursday -- please be nice to Nick in our absence, and we can attend to any issues on our return.

That's all I know at the moment!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Osh Kosh warm-up...

2010-05-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

We are starting to finalize our plans to fly-out to Osh Kosh Airventure 2010! If you missed my earlier post, here's the current plan:

We are tentatively leaving on Saturday morning, July 24, returning Friday July 30, in a caravan of Bonanzas once more, staying at a rented private home which is across the street from the North 40.

It's Aviation Mecca.

Anyway, we are finalizing plans now -- last year's fuel split was appx $440, and covered 5+ hours of HP/Complex time, and of course, a week at Osh, a "real" cross-country flight, and that wicked amazing Osh Arrival NOTAM.

Drop me a line for details! It's not too late -- we're still formulating the plans and the planes. mike@flycorona.com if you'd like more info.

Some quick maintenance updates:

Cessna 630 isn't bugging anyone.

Cessna 68U is cruising just fine.

Cessna 739 will be in for a quick-turn 100hr tomorrow.

Cessna 17J has a new new new new.. (etc) Transponder.

Cessna 25R, I jinxed it last time. No comment. :)

Bonanza 11N has new tires and a new pilot-side PTT switch. We are still formulating the "Vee up" yoke switch, we want to get it right -- sorry for the delay.

Skylane 073 isn't bothering anyone.

Someone is trying to talk me into a Decathalon or an Aeronca Champ LSA again. Pesky taildragger pilots.

We are actively shopping for another 172 M, N, P, or R model.

That's all I know at the moment.

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Step aside!

2010-04-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

El Piloto Machino's assembly line is going strong!

Joining Chris, Ricardo, and Cris -- please welcome the newest U.S. Private Pilot in the world, one Pilot Fernando P., who sailed to victory in Cessna 739 with DPE Mark D. at Chino!

Fernando was able to stay cool as a cucumber despite some attitude from 739's Alternator. (thanks a lot, 739 -- the Alternator is being replaced today) Talk about double Maverick points!

Nice work, Fernando!!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Grungy weather, new wings and ridiculousness

2010-04-26T19:58:00.001-07:00

Pilots!

First things first:

Please join me in congratulating the newest Private Pilot in the world! (Sorry Chris and Ricardo!) -- one U.S. Private Pilot Cris C., who earned his wings today in Cessna 739 with DPE Andrea E. at Chino. Cris turned 17 yesterday, and we look forward to all of the hot dates he will get to brag about now that he has an airplane. Woo woo!

Way to go, Cris!!

For those who missed our Paso Robles trip, you missed a fun and casual gathering, tasty lunch, and the chance to fly F-18s... (simulatedly). Of course, the best laid plans never turn out as desired, and the clouds were slow to adios themselves.. here was our final tally:

Skylane 073: Had to shoot IFR to a 300' ceiling! First one there, nice work Elian and company!

Bonanza 5R: Had to shoot IFR to a 500' ceiling! Piece of cake.

Bonanza 11N: Decided clouds were for suckers, went to Big Bear instead.

Cessna 739: Asked SoCal for diversion to SMX, no, SBP, no, SBA, no, L35, no.. SMX, really. Joined up 20 minutes later after the OVC005 turned to CLR. Ha ha.

Skylane 7N: Orbited the clouds right where PRB should have been. Peeked in when the time was right. That's precision, ninja-like flying. Nice work, Peter!

Cessna 17J: Figured it would be better to be sipping a milkshake at Bobby A's, wishing they were flying, than to be flying in the scud wishing they could have a Bobby A's milkshake instead. Hard to argue with that logic!

Archer AC: Decided life was better at Harris Ranch altogether, amongst steaks and clear skies for miles around. I think he was the cleverest pilot of us all!

The museum was a lot of fun, and so was the sim and the random assortment of planes to look at / crawl around. A nice saturday afternoon diversion, and thanks to all who made it! We look forward to doing something like this again soon, hopefully with better results. :)

I'm sure any pics we have will make their way to Facebook. :)

it was foggy because F-18s make clouds

Are you out of challenges? Wish you could come up with a story that really impresses the leatherfaced old pilots on the bench -- instead of being trumped by "well there I was, flying an improvised coconut husk glider out of the guam POW camp..."

If you're a knucklehead with an airplane and a free afternoon, there's really only one thing you need to do.

Fly a C150 into LAX.

Imagine the side-splitting laughter SoCal Approach must have dished out when they heard this on the radio:

"SoCal Approach, Cessna 11630, 150/U, landing LAX"

Imagine the serious-faces they suddenly wore when the pilot answered their query with

"No no, really, landing LAX. Ready to copy my reservation number, SoCal?"

I'll wager they made this face

I have mixed feelings about this one, but the pilot who did this flight-planned it masterfully, and despite the $65 ramp fee, the absolute lack of 100LL fuel available, and the fact that he only got one cookie from Landmark Aviation (the General Aviation FBO at LAX, where the ante usually starts at a Citation X) -- he seems to have been real happy to write in "KAJO KLAX" into his logbook.

That must've been one hell of a cookie.

Landing 25L, which is a 200 foot wide by 11,095 foot long patch of asphalt... I think I'd get lost just taxiing. I think you could land sideways in a C150 if you were real good. I also think LAX Tower needed a microscope to find our poor little 630. Good thing she's bright yellow!

Cool pictures, though. :)

Thanks for not earning us a phonecall from the FAA, Jake!

Cessna 630... cleared to do... whatever it is you think that thing can do.

That's all I know at the moment. Oh! How about some maintenance news:

Cessna 68U has an overhauled nose strut. Someone's landing lacked pizazz. :)

Cessna 25R is hoped for this week. (shh, don't jinx it)

Cessna 17J's transponder is (sigh) acting up again. We are out of people to punch for this, but it will probably return to the cave-trolls at Tom's for service later this week.

Cessna 630 probably could fit inside of an A380's Engine pod.

Cessna 739 isn't bothering anyone. Thanks, 739!

==

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Room for one more...

2010-04-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Just a wave of good times around here lately!

Please join me in congratulating the newest Private Pilot in the world! (Sorry for the short-lived title, Chris :) ) -- one U.S. Private Pilot Ricardo C.! Ricardo soared to victory yesterday in Cessna 17J with DPE Andrea Eldridge at CNO!

Nice job Ricardo! (por fin, amigo!!) :)

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Stay East, Young Man!

2010-04-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

It's that time again! The License-eating TFR monster has descended upon LAX and threatens your flying privileges! The FSDOs are exercising a "zero tolerance" policy for busting these TFRs, so please ask the briefer if you'll be affected.

The "STAY OUT" sign can be delivered personally via F-16 should you stray into the red ring shown here:

Details of the TFR:

==

Issue Date : April 16, 2010 at 1617 UTC
Location : Los Angeles, California
Beginning Date and Time : April 20, 2010 at 0001 UTC
Ending Date and Time : April 20, 2010 at 1800 UTC
Reason for NOTAM : Temporary flight restrictions for VIP (Very Important Person) Movement
Type : VIP
Replaced NOTAM(s) : N/A

No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM (except as described).

Except as specified below and/or unless authorized by ATC in consultation with the air traffic security coordinator via the domestic events network (DEN):

A. All aircraft operations within the 8 and or 10 NMR area(s) listed above, known as the inner core(s), are prohibited except for: Approved law enforcement, military aircraft directly supporting the United States Secret Service (USSS) and the office of the President of the United States, approved air ambulance flights, and regularly scheduled commercial passenger and all-cargo carriers operating under one of the following TSA-Approved standard security programs/procedures: aircraft operator standard security program (AOSSP), full all-cargo aircraft operator standard security program (FACAOSSP), model security program (MSP), twelve five standard security program (TFSSP) all cargo, or all-cargo international security procedure (ACISP) and are arriving into and/or departing from 14 cfr part 139 airports. All emergency/life saving flight (medical/law enforcement/firefighting) operations must coordinate with ATC prior to their departure at 858-537-5900 to avoid potential delays.

B. For operations within the airspace between the 8 and or 10 nmr and 35 nmr area(s) listed above, known as the outer ring(s): All aircraft operating within the outer ring(s) listed above are limited to aircraft arriving or departing local airfields, and workload permitting, ATC may authorize transit operations. Aircraft may not loiter. All aircraft must be on an active IFR or VFR flight plan with a discrete code assigned by an air traffic control (ATC) facility. Aircraft must be squawking the discrete code prior to departure and at all times while in the TFR and must remain in two-way radio communications with ATC.

C. The following operations are not authorized within this TFR: flight training, practice instrument approaches, aerobatic flight, glider operations, parachute operations, ultralight, hang gliding, balloon operations, agriculture/crop dusting, animal population control flight operations, banner towing operations, sightseeing operations, maintenance test flights, model aircraft operations, model rocketry, and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

D. FAA recommends that all aircraft operators check notams frequently for possible changes to this TFR prior to operations within this region.

==

Fly Safe and stay out of Gitmo! :)

- Mike

And... the hat trick!

2010-04-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

I don't know how hockey works, so maybe I should use a different metaphor -- do they yell GOOOAAAALLL like soccer hooligans, or do they just punch one another?

No punching for these two fine fellows, however, but let's give some stylish fist bumps out:

Please join me in congratulating TWO new pilots:

Newly-minted IFR Pilot Nick K. earned his blindfold yesterday with DPE Mark DiLullo in Cessna 739.

Newly-minted Private Pilot Chris A. earned his wings yesterday with DPE Ken Earl in Cessna 17J.

Way to go guys!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Perfect weather... to make pilots!

2010-04-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

Gang,

Please join me in congratulating the newest pilot in the world -- one Private Pilot Todd S., who earned his wings yesterday in Cessna 739 with DPE Tom Hamm!

Way to go, Todd!!

April is always checkride month around here, and we have no less than 7 more scheduled in the next 4 weeks. As you may or may not know, a checkride is the only time we will ask you to change a booking -- it is tough to align aircraft, instructors, and the busy FAA examiners, and we sometimes need to shuffle lessons around to accomodate everything. Rest assured that when it is time for your checkride, we will be able to "make things happen" also! We appreciate your understanding with this policy!

==

The bugs are awakening. Every flight may result in a yucky leading edge and cowling -- please let the line know, we will work hard to keep things from getting out of hand with a quick application of a soapy sponge..

(gross)

==

Cessna 25R has rejoined us at the home court. We will be putting the finishing touches on her early next week. We are literally one FAA inspection away from her return to service.

Some other updates while I'm here:

Cessna 630 is wrapping up a rather extensive annual, and we expect her return today or tomorrow.

Cessna 68U is cruising. She will be going down in appx 6-8 weeks for an engine swap, with downtime appx 2-3 days. This will coincide with a 100hr inspection, so added downtime should be minimal.

Cessna 739 completed her Annual and is humming along.

Cessna 17J is not bothering anyone.

==

A word about starting 17J... and other fuel-injected Cessnas...

As many of you know, Cessna Aircraft are made by hand in Wichita, Kansas (technically Independence, KS since 1997) -- and for those unaware, Kansas is a mystical place filled with corn... and the Cessna aircraft factory, and which enjoys frozen snowy winters AND blistering hot summers.

I mention this because the start procedure for 17J is designed to work even in the frozen -10F Kansas winter. That's fine for them, but for those of us who live where shovelling coconut slurpee off of our cars every morning is not done -- it's overkill.

Specifically, if you omit the "boost pump" priming step from your start procedure altogether, or if it's a crisp early morning, you limit it to ~1 second only, you will find that 17J starts much easier. Give it a shot next time.

If you DO over-prime the engine, the trick is to advance the throttle full, mixture out, start, and then with 3 hands flailing every which way, set mags to both, mixture back in, and throttle back out. The book "flooded start" procedure will extract you from an over-boosted engine start every time.

...and they can keep their "snow"

That's all I know at the moment... suuuuuch nice weather, though! Enjoy it before the summer haze arrives!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

The return of good weather...

2010-04-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Who ordered up all of this funky wind? Yuck. Intrepid aviators were caught playing on runway 7 and enjoying the spirited use of flight controls in pursuit of a landing... we were able to point and chuckle at some of the better attempts... but now it's time for normal flying again! Whew!

Here are some things I know:

Cessna 17J has a new starter

Cessna 1ES is in the throes of an engine overhaul. We'll check back on her in May.

Cessna 739 completed her 100hr this morning and returns to market.

Cessna 68U is cruising along just fine.

Cessna 630 goes in for annual next week sometime.

Cessna 25R's gear doors have arrived from Australia! We can see the light at the end of the tunnel now -- we are awaiting FAA approval for the ferry flight, and then FAA approval on the gear door repairs, and then... we'll have 25R back! Neat!

The owner of the club 182, N92073, has extended use of the aircraft to FlyC folks for the next 2 months, while the club membership ramps up and her interior refurbishment proceeds. I have gone ahead and added both to the FlyC schedule for now -- and so as to not annoy those who see club as a 4-letter word, I have activated the filtering mechanism for them as well :) The wet rate is $139/hr with no fuel surcharge. This is a lower cost-per-nm than 17J! Who said there is no such thing as a free lunch?

We have 1 seat left for the Paso Robles fly-out in the big planes, and a few pro-rata seats in the 172s. Let Beth know if you'd like it! beth@flycorona.com

We are preparing our next FAA-Safety Maintenance Seminar -- "How to change an aircraft tire!" Ever hear of anything so boring? Me neither -- yet, it's one of the most detailed, intricate, and critical operations a pilot can do to his own airplane... scary! Look for this to debut sometime in May, hosted by yours truly. (lord knows, nobody else would do it!)

Simply gorgeous weather abounds. Let's hope it holds for the weekend!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Wine Country...

2010-04-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

We have some details now for the Paso Robles trip that Beth and friend of the school Ryan F have been plotting. Here is what I know:

We plan to mount a social expedition to KPRB on Saturday, April 24, at 8am. This will be a pro-rata flight, with some cool things they've cooked up, to wit:

We have devised a number of strategies to get everyone equal leg time, and all legs will count as XC time for those contemplating their IFR rating!

Here's the plan:

1 or 2 FlyC 172s with up to 3 pilots each can pro-rata their flight, using any route they find acceptable (we have some to suggest)

For those interested in the club aircraft, here's a chance to try your hand with a CFI:

Bonanza 11N has 3 slots available and will be flying with CFI Marlon

Skylane 073 has 3 slots available and will be flying with CFI Elian

The Aircraft Museum at Paso Robles will provide a BBQ Lunch, as well as time on their Flight Simulator! Cool!

Costs for those interested in a club aircraft: $115 per person!

Costs for those in a FlyC 172: Flight time pro-rata and $15 per person!

Admission to the museum, lunch, and the simulator is included!

For 3 in a Skyhawk, plan on 4 hours' flight time (1.3 apiece)

For 3 in a Skylane, plan on 3 hours' flight time (1 apiece)

For 3 in a Bonanza, plan on 2.5 hours' flight time (0.8 apiece)

...we will be leaving at 8am on Saturday, and will plan to return to Corona by 4pm. A fun outing filled with planes, mountains, and cool views!

Give Beth a ring in the office (she volunteered to do the logistics -- I'm hopeless at it) at 951-272-3942, or email fly@flycorona.com to secure a spot!

Friends of FlyC -- have your own plane? Wanna join us? We'd love to have you along! You're welcome to tuck in on our group rates for the sim, the lunch, and the museum as well -- only $19 per person! (hey, we subsidized the others ;) )

Hope to see you there!

In other news...

Cessna 68U wrapped her 100hr.

Cessna 17J wrapped her Annual.

Cessna 739 is due for 100hr. She starts Monday -- and is available for SOLO ONLY this weekend. Her new audio panel seems to be the cat's meow.

Cessna 25R will be ferried back to KAJO either tomorrow or Monday, pending FAA inspection and ferry permit.

Cessna 630 is cruising. Thanks, 630!

Skylane 073 is undergoing some interior and avionics refurbishment, as planned.

We are getting serious about some "Written Test Cram" ground school sessions. The format would likely be a long 2-day weekend, and would include the written exam at the end. .. any interest, written-exam laggards? (You know who you are... Carlos!)

When the wind stops annoying us, it's going to make some mighty fine flying weather. I can't wait!

Blue Skies & Have a Hoppy Easter!

- Mike

Ten Too Many...

2010-03-29T09:59:00.001-07:00

Pilots!

As hinted at earlier, we have a new addition to the Flying Club lineup!

Meet Skylane 073, a Cessna 182M, who has earned the top honors in "Fly Corona Longest Ferry Flight" of an aircraft to date, edging out 11630's 16 hours from Wisconsin -- taking 18.5 Hours to join us from Northeastern Atlanta, GA!

073 is Basically a 172 that has been pumped up in every regard, with 230 horsepower, oodles of cabin room (both front and back!), useful load, 7 hours of fuel range, and 135kts of good honest cruise performance! This is the plane for Vegas runs with your linebacker friends!

073 is available to existing Wingfleet members immediately, and her arrival opens up new slots in the club! Cool! Her club rates will be similar to the Debonair, a pinch less, at $179/mo buy-in, with an $849 refundable deposit, and $59/hr dry rate!

In other news...

Cessna 68U is in for her 100hr currently.

Cessna 17J will go in for her annual at the end of the week.

==

Santa Ana Winds! Who invited these things? Yucky.

More as I know it...

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Well, shoot...

2010-03-24T03:58:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

I've been so caught up in our plane and schedule shuffling, that I completely overlooked the need for some kudos and celebration!

So please join me in congratulating newly-winged Private Pilot Andrew H., who dazzled DPE Ken Earl in Cessna 630! Way to go, Andrew!

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Stall recovery...

2010-03-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

Pilots!

Kudos to the maintenance team for knocking out Cessna 739's firewall repair in record time! Hopefully this will help with the schedule crunch for now.

Some more things that I know:

Cessna 630 is cruising

Cessna 68U also

Cessna 17J is making faces at us regarding her autopilot. We'll check it out -- she is also going in for Annual in 2 weeks, with no anticipated "heavy downtime"

Bonanza 11N is running great.

Skylane 073 is due on the flightline in 2 weeks or less.

Not much else going on that I know about.

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Blustery and chilly flying...

2010-03-10T17:29:00.002-08:00

Pilots!

Some news from the front, briefly:

Cessnas 630, 68U, and 17J are cruising around. Thanks, girls.

Cessna 739 is roaring on her firewall repair. We anticipate her escaping the hoosegow sometime in the week of March 22nd. That's soon. :)

Cessna 25R -- We have ordered our gear doors. From australia. Finally. They will arrive in a week or two, and we will either jump through FAA paperwork hoops, or manufacturing template hoops. The good news is, there is light at the end of this tunnel. More as I know it.

Bonanza 11N was delayed by the paint shop. She goes in tomorrow first thing, and will be back in action either Friday or Saturday. Sorry for the downtime -- we look forward to resuming flying as usual!

Skylane 073 is set to arrive in the first week of April.

Wait, hold on, who? Whatchootalkin bout flyboy?

Meet Skylane 073!

"Seventy Three" is a Cessna 182M model, action packed with goodies such as the S-Tec 50 2-axis autopilot, dual King Navcoms, and the impressive GX55 IFR GPS.

Check this girl out:

This is a heavy-hauling 4 people, bags, and fuel type of airplane! 130 knots, fixed gear, high performance, and good fuel mileage. It's a 172 on steroids.

We are bringing her home from Atlanta soon -- she is wrapping an extensive pre-purchase Annual as we speak! woo hoo!

==

Bobby A's Restaurant next door is beginning dinner service on the 17th. Awesome!

If you are on our Oshkosh 2010 list -- we are looking for a headcount for the House (not the campers) -- if you haven't gotten an Email from me, please drop me a note with a soft RSVP so we know what to set up. A "maybe" is okay too -- we just need to prep. The house will be first-come, first-serve.

We are arranging a mass fly-out to Paso Robles in April. We think we'll have some airplanes on-line by then :) -- Drop me a note at mike@flycorona.com if you'd be interested. We'll be taking the Skylane, probably the Bonanza, and maybe some of our training girls for a leg-stretch for lunch in wine country.

Mmmmm... fun times!

More as I know it!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Well, woof...

2010-03-03T21:34:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

Mutiny continues around the ranch, despite our wrench floggings. Here is what I know:

Cessna 630 has emerged victorious from her 100hr.

Cessna 68U is not bothering anybody. Thanks, 68U!

Cessna 739, while installing a replacement tach (which had broken), was discovered to have a crease in her firewall, and has been grounded.

This is no small job. We are particularly disappointed that somebody appears to have had a bone-jarringly bad landing on the nosewheel and did not mention it to anybody to verify the plane was okay. From looking at the firewall, we are amazed that the pilot still has his or her teeth! Had the situation been worse, we might have been dispatching a dangerous plane, and endangering other pilots. Not nice. I think our pilots would feel rather silly if they were suddenly without a firewall!

It will be appx 1.5 - 2 weeks to replace the firewall. We are sensitive to the poor timing this represents, and are doing our best schedule shuffle. Please bear with us -- as always, though, we must adopt the "better safe than sorry" policy.

Cessna 1ES is out of commission for the time being.

Cessna 17J is in for 100hr, and will return Friday, assuming her firewall is still attached. :)

Cessna 25R, source of discontent for a few folks, is on her 6th attempt at gear door repairs. We also have a set of molds being shipped from Australia as a form of plan B -- in case we strike out yet again -- and will plan to just make the darn things ourselves, since Cessna has none, and nobody else does either.

Bonanza 11N leaves the hangar tomorrow with a new cowling skin, and will be off to the salon for some paintwork. She will be back with us on Friday. Apologies for the delay.

(739's nose upon closer inspection)

We have selected a 182 for the club! I will have pictures soon, but here is what I know:

Insurance is pending, but we expect the *same* participation rate for either the 182 or the Bonanza. This is a 12-month term of $194 per month, and $59/hr dry with no limits. These are targets, with final numbers being worked out still.

She is nice with the full IFR kit, an excellent autopilot, fresh motor and glass, and some STOL mods as well. A great step-up aircraft. I should have pictures soon.

Existing club members will have full access to the 182, and checkout will be minimal.

That's it for now. More as I know it!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Mutiny!

2010-02-28T10:02:00.000-08:00

Avast, Pilots!

What with rain and thunder on an otherwise fine Saturday, spoiling flying for all -- our planes are all making faces at us as well!

Here's what I know:

Cessna 630 has walked the plank into her 100hr inspection.

Cessna 68U is sailing the seas just fine. Thank ye, 68U!

Cessna 739 decided to fall on her starter not once, but twice! She is flying again now, after some persuadin'.

Cessna 1ES has put in for an extended shore leave, on account of some engine troubles. Downtime TBD but will be significant.

Cessna 17J had her 3rd, 4th, 12th? Transponder installed. We've lost count.

Cessna 25R just awaits Gear doors now.

Bonanza 11N is taking a little longer than anticipated -- hopefully re-emerging this week.

What a scurvy lot. We hope to have them back in ship-shape as soon as we can.

The oil change seminar was a lot of fun, even though I had no voice. We'll do it again soon.

==

That's all I know at the moment.

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Rays of sunshine

2010-02-21T12:47:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating the newest US Private Pilot in the world, one Pilot Jim P., who soared to victory yesterday in Cessna 739 with DPE Mark D.

This feat is doubly impressive given a last-minute aircraft change for maintenance, proving that he can fly anything -- bring it on! Way to go, Jim!

In other news,

Cessna 630 is cruising around.

Cessna 68U may be pulled from the bench to alleviate schedule crunch issues. This may happen as soon as tomorrow (Monday). She will have numerous improvements, including interior, glass, and her second navcom reinstalled. We are debating paint too, but will try her as-is for the time being.

Cessna 739 makes pilots and takes names.

Cessna 1ES has made a maintenance face at us, and we have grounded her to investigate. Downtime TBD.

Cessna 17J is partying.

Cessna 25R is still waiting on gear door repair. ETA remains at 2-4 weeks.

Bonanza 11N decided to spend the week in Catalina after an exhaust manifold failure. We expect her back and shiny on Wednesday.

We are pursuing leads on a Baron or Duchess, as well as a 182. All of these would be for club duty.

We are seeking another C150 for flight school duty.

If you have a PAPER pilot certificate, please understand that it turns into a pumpkin on March 31. If you still have one of these, you must exchange it for a plastic one, which will cost you $2. You may register online, and the lead time is 7-10 days.

You may NOT pilot an aircraft on a paper pilot certificate after March 31.

Register here: FAA Airman Registry

There is a separate deadline for paper A&P mechanic certificates -- poke around the FARs or the FAA website to learn when that particular deadline is.

Strange weather -- check freezing levels if you plan to play in the clouds today!

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Such nice weather...

2010-02-16T09:52:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

Some updates around the ranch:

Cessna 630 is cruising around.

Cessna 739 completed her 100hr this morning, and is back in the sky -- sorry for the long downtime, we found something in the wing to frump at.

Cessna 1ES completed her 100hr pit-stop style last week.

Cessna 17J is not bothering anybody.

Cessna 25R is in the home-stretch, with an anticipated return in March.

Bonanza 11N had her first spot of bother -- with a broken exhaust manifold. Oops! Good job to pilot Alan S for deciding that a runway is the best place to put a flame-throwing airplane, despite the obvious style-points in re-enacting Halley's comet. :) Bonanza 11N's downtime is forecast at 1 week for some paintwork and arched eyebrows.

Our Preventative Maintenance seminar is now scheduled! Saturday, February 27 at 10am, feel free to join us as we discuss the following:

The important of correct paperwork
The regulations as-written, and their actual use in practice
Logbook entries
Correct technique for changing your engine oil
Tips, tricks, cool ideas

And, as always, we will also perform an *actual* oil change for everyone to watch and participate in! Dress in your grubby clothes!

If you have an airplane and would like to change its oil, we will be on-hand to assist you, and we can do that simultaneously with the group!

It's a lot of fun, and you get to really get a look at the innards of an aircraft engine, chat with the mechanics who keep our airplanes aloft, and see what happens in our evil maintenance lair! (our wrenches don't bite, honest!)

Feel free to RSVP at the FAA Safety Team -- and if there are no spots remaining... you can still show up anyway! (shh, don't tell)

We will have refreshments, you'll get to inhale airplanes for 2-3 hours, and you'll leave with a certificate of training from us! Cool!

Not much else going on... although I've got about as much as I can handle at the moment :)

Blue Skies!

- Mike

Osh Roll Call...

2010-02-09T14:21:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

It's a little earlier than we like to announce, but the time is coming soon when we will make our annual Airventure pilgrimage.

For those not in the know, this is a chance to book a little bit of cross-country time (4,000nm worth) by flying to Osh Kosh, WI for the annual Airventure "Aviation Celebration". Every year we rent a giant house across from the airfield (replete with air conditioning), and make the Osh Arrival and Departure procedure, and spend 5 days drinking in everything aviation. It's something every pilot should do once in their lives.

We do a pro-rata split of flight time in an assortment of aircraft, and last year we took a B33 Straight-tail Bonanza and my S35 V-tail Bonanza. 7 pilots pro-rata wound up being appx $430 for the trip, and camping with the aircraft was free! A spot in the house can be had for $500 for the 5 days as well, and it is truly excellent all around. Additionally, you will receive your High-Po and Complex endorsements if you do not already have them, and will be able to log PIC for your legs. If you are training for IFR, you can log Safety Pilot and even file and fly full IFR if you wish.

Expect to log 6-8 hours PIC HP/Complex time, with each leg crossing 2-3 states on average.

This year Airventure is from July 26 - August 1. We would plan to launch from Corona on Friday, July 22, and return by Sunday, August 1. Historically, I have acted the bitter slave driver, and whipped us home on Saturday night, but we allow for weather. I promise that you will spend the week after Osh saturated with aircraft.

It's a good time. It's worth going. We'd love to know if you wish to join us this year!

Drop me a line at mike@flycorona.com if you'd like to be on the "Maybe" list. Please indicate the strength of your "Maybe" so that we may prioritize accordingly and round up the correct aircraft for the journey.

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Catching up...

2010-02-08T12:30:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

Sorry for the delay in news. Things have been busy behind the scenes. Here's what I know:

Cessna 17J and 1ES have completed 100hrs.

Cessna 630 also.

Cessna 739 is in for her 100hr, and it is rumored that it may take a week.

Cessna 68U is slowly being put back together.

We have a plane crunch! We are going to be seeking 1 or 2 additional 172s for the lineup this spring. This is in addition to 25R, who is rumored to return in March from her escapades.

This will be in addition to our 182 which we are shopping for currently for the club.

...the Citabria will need to wait this round. Our next plane-shopping window is in fall.

That's all I know at the moment. More as I get it!

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Polish those apples!

2010-01-26T10:32:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

Hot off of the sog-storm, we are proud to relay that the airport is fine and did not submerge -- this time. It was definitely drenched, but no lasting damage was reported on the airfield.

Funny how the east end suddenly had a lot more aircraft on it. Chino and Riverside too. :)

==

Weather was great for flying this weekend, and we have a brief tantrum to deal with this afternoon, then back to good and blue skies. Huzzah!

In that train of thoughts:

Cessna 17J is back from Toms with some new pieces. PFD reported operative again, sorry for the downtime.

Cessna 25R's motor and prop are complete. Now for some darn gear doors...

FAA Testing is changing!

Time to dust off those study guides... FAA is imposing some interesting new test center criteria nationwide.. which of course means new fees. Because the $10 hike last quarter wasn't enough.

Beginning March 1, All FAA Testing is going up a whopping $50, which brings most tests to $150 total. Gasp!

This is all testing centers nationwide, both CATS (which we are) and Lasergrade. We just found out last night, and now you know -- get cracking on those books! :)

We are stalking the wild 182...

We are stalking the wild 150...

We are looking suspiciously at the occasional Citabria...

:)

Blue Skies,

- Mike

A new pilot!

2010-01-16T14:31:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

Please join me in congratulating the newest Private Pilot in the world today, one U.S. Private Pilot Doug B., who earned his wings in Cessna 1ES with DPE Ken Earl! What a great day for it too!

Way to go, Doug!

Did I say nice weather? ha ha ha. Rain is coming! Apparently there are 4 separate storms converging on Corona, preparing to dump buckets of water on us.

A series of storms will bring periods of locally heavy rain and
strong winds next week with snow at the higher elevations.

The first storm will arrive Monday and bring rain... possibly heavy
by Monday evening. The snow level will be high Monday... around 7000
feet... so snow will be restricted to resort levels. Strong gusty
winds will occur late Monday into Monday night. Subsequent storms
will impact the area Tuesday through Friday and bring more
rain... heavy at times.

This all week long event has the potential to generate rainfall of 5
to 8 inches near the coast... and 15 to locally 25 inches on the
coastal mountain slopes. Even the desert locations are likely to
receive between 2 and 4 inches of rain.

The word is that the upgrades to Prado dam are complete, and we will be able to avoid flooding the airport. That'd be neat. If not, we will be prepared to reposition aircraft to Chino or Riverside. If you are available as a ferry pilot for a short rainy mission, please get in touch with me or the office. We may need some short notice soggy flying. :)

Cessna 17J is back at Toms Aircraft in Long Beach. They are still stumped. They are better at selling G1000s than fixing them apparently. :)

==

That's all I know for the moment. It's been quiet around the ranch otherwise.

Blue Skies,

- Mike

Shopping some more...

2010-01-13T15:32:00.000-08:00

Pilots!

Well here's some soggy weather for ya. Gross.

Some things that I know in maintenanceland:

Cessna 630 is happy.

Cessna 68U may or may not rejoin the fleet.

Cessna 20U has been officially retired. Doh!

Cessna 739 Rocks

Cessna 25R is being worked on still.

Cessna 1ES is humming.

Cessna 17J has a new standby battery to correct a PFD issue.

Many of you know that it was our intention in 2008/2009 to retire our old tried-and-true 172s. It's tough when you have planes that are running great, inexpensively clicking off the hours -- we were planning to mothball 68U and retire 20U in fall of 2010. Of course, it only takes a little carburetor ice and some bad luck to change that plan. (doh!)

So... the question is... now what?

Here's what I know:

I love Cessna 630 and will not be planning to replace her for the foreseeable future.

Cessnas 739, 1ES, and 17J the same -- I think we need each in its own way.

Cessna 25R we are planning to keep around for a while, just because she's a good "fast and easy to fly" plane with some punch.

Now that we have Bonanza 11N on the line, we are scratching our heads, as it complicates things. We love this plane too, and have no plane to replace her. We like the club format, and I think any "faster than 172" planes belong in the club, not the FBO.

...so!

I am considering the following:

Another C150, retire the Uniforms.

Bring 68U back, maybe with new paint and interior.

Sell 68U off, get another 739-class plane.

Sell 68U off, get something for the club like a 195hp 172XP or 180hp light 172. Something with some punch. :) Maybe that 150 Aerobat I was considering awhile ago.

...Hmmm...

Usually our choices are easy, but this one is hard, because now we have the infrastructure to run planes at either high or low utilizations, and it opens up some options. I'd love to hear what you guys would rather be flying around in.

In other news -- I'll be hosting an FAA Safety Team Seminar on February 27, on the topic of Preventative Maintenance. We will be discussing rules, regs, and practical aspects of changing an aircraft's oil yourself! Then, we'll actually do it on one of our planes!

Everyone is invited, there is no fee for the seminar, and we will likely hold it in our hangar. You can learn about safety-wire, oil contaminant checks, and get to see/touch/feel one of our engines up close! It's a worthwhile time, and we enjoy doing them. Come heckle if you like. :)

==

More as I know it...

Blue Skies, (soon I hope!)

- Mike