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.
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Woof.
Here are some other things I know about:
We did not win the Baron we were bidding for from Cessna's finance arm. We are a little bummed about that, but continue to hunt for a twin. We have secured use of a C310 and a Seneca II for training if needed. Inquire with the office if you'd like to get in on that.
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We have over 50 tickets in our raffle, and have added some juicy prizes to the prize pool! Nice!
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Carlos has masterminded a fly-out and BBQ for July 10th. I will collect some info and share it with you. It's probably on our facebook page!
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June Gloom appears to have departed, in favor of summer haze. Flying season is here! Woo hoo!
Blue Skies, straight landings!
- Mike
