Weathernistas,
Despite the lack of (much) flying, there are some events lately that are noteworthy.
Cessna 08V is in for an overhaul of her exhaust system. There was a worrisome "popping" noise which we've been chasing for the last two weeks, and which the wizards at Corona Cylinder have identified finally. We will have her down for other repairs today and possibly tomorrow.
Cherokee 08F received her new climb prop this weekend, and now launches off of the numbers! She's quite a treat, posting upwards of 800fpm climb rates. Quite nice! We've done a lot of work on the Cherokee and believe her to be a rock-solid bird now -- give her a whirl if you'd like to try a low-wing.
Cessna 20U will be going in for 100hr this week. Cessna 04H will be following right behind her. Downtime is possible, but we will do our best to minimize. Stay tuned for status on those.
--
Those of you frustrated with 2200' ceilings and 3 miles vis (and I imagine there are quite a few at this point) -- next time you're in the office, take a look at saddleback mountain (which is about 3mi away) and wonder what it's like to not be able to see it while cruising in the air at 2 miles per minute.... not a comfortable thing!
Now imagine trying to spot that other plane converging on you (also at 2 miles per minute) -- are you looking outside for planes at all times? Two planes converging at 120mph in 3 miles vis get exactly 45 seconds to locate, identify, and avoid one another. Yes, it's hard to hit another plane, even on purpose -- but 45 seconds is just not a sufficient margin of safety for us.
Class G airspace minimums are >1 mile< !! Imagine that! You get 15 seconds to see and avoid the other plane, and you can't see the 91 freeway from final approach. No thanks!
Fly safe, and remember.. once the inversion layers are gone, it's going to be replaced with summer heat.... we may be begging for the return of overcast soon enough!
- Mike
We hate cancelling flights, but.. safety first.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Glooooomy weather!
Pilots!
June Gloom has arrived early. We are plagued with poor visibility and very low ceilings in the mornings, burning off only around noontime.
Come to think of it, that's exactly what happened this time last year.
We've heard grumblings from numerous students, who receive our unfortunate calls telling them we'll be cancelling their flight... again. Take heart! The gloom is usually only here for a week or so, and following it is almost always clear blue skies all day long.
Pilots wanting something to do with their newfound free time can certainly request some ground instruction with their instructor. We also stock MS Flight Simulator if you're interested in a little armchair pilotage ($30, check with the office :) )
===
Some other news -- we have completed our bookkeeping, and have finalized new pricing for 2006, which will go into effect Wednesday, May 3. We have been able to hold down prices for the last 13 months, and now we must adjust to our increasing costs.
Generally, prices will be increased only $5 per hour across the board at the block rate level, with the exception of the Cessna 150s, which remain at $49/hr wet. After discussions with various fuel providers, we have decided not to roll the current fuel surcharges into these new prices, since there may be some relief in sight in the near future. (and like taxes, price hikes are impossible to get rid of once implemented). Prices will still be set at the optimistic $3.00/gallon AvGas price, which we hope to return to soon. Fuel surcharges will still apply, at our cost, to fuel prices over this target.
Retail rates will be raised an additional $5 per hour.
Since nobody likes surprises, least of all pilots, we have adopted the following grandfathering policy to ease the transition for our existing students:
Students or renters who are currently on block rates, and who have greater than $1,000 on account with us at any point before Sunday, May 8 - will be grandfathered at the old block/package rates until June 15th. After June 15th, no grandfathered rates will be used.
Retail renters and those with only a few flights remaining will use the new rates, unless they are to raise their account above $1,000 before the 8th. In essence, we are offering pilots one week to purchase a block of time at the old rates, before we effect the transition to the new.
I welcome your comments on this policy -- you may email me at mike@flycorona.com with any questions or concerns.
We believe this "no surprises" grandfathering policy to be the most equitable solution to our existing students, and we will continue to represent the best priced, most fun aviating in the southland.
Blue Skies,
- Mike
June Gloom has arrived early. We are plagued with poor visibility and very low ceilings in the mornings, burning off only around noontime.
Come to think of it, that's exactly what happened this time last year.
We've heard grumblings from numerous students, who receive our unfortunate calls telling them we'll be cancelling their flight... again. Take heart! The gloom is usually only here for a week or so, and following it is almost always clear blue skies all day long.
Pilots wanting something to do with their newfound free time can certainly request some ground instruction with their instructor. We also stock MS Flight Simulator if you're interested in a little armchair pilotage ($30, check with the office :) )
===
Some other news -- we have completed our bookkeeping, and have finalized new pricing for 2006, which will go into effect Wednesday, May 3. We have been able to hold down prices for the last 13 months, and now we must adjust to our increasing costs.
Generally, prices will be increased only $5 per hour across the board at the block rate level, with the exception of the Cessna 150s, which remain at $49/hr wet. After discussions with various fuel providers, we have decided not to roll the current fuel surcharges into these new prices, since there may be some relief in sight in the near future. (and like taxes, price hikes are impossible to get rid of once implemented). Prices will still be set at the optimistic $3.00/gallon AvGas price, which we hope to return to soon. Fuel surcharges will still apply, at our cost, to fuel prices over this target.
Retail rates will be raised an additional $5 per hour.
Since nobody likes surprises, least of all pilots, we have adopted the following grandfathering policy to ease the transition for our existing students:
Students or renters who are currently on block rates, and who have greater than $1,000 on account with us at any point before Sunday, May 8 - will be grandfathered at the old block/package rates until June 15th. After June 15th, no grandfathered rates will be used.
Retail renters and those with only a few flights remaining will use the new rates, unless they are to raise their account above $1,000 before the 8th. In essence, we are offering pilots one week to purchase a block of time at the old rates, before we effect the transition to the new.
I welcome your comments on this policy -- you may email me at mike@flycorona.com with any questions or concerns.
We believe this "no surprises" grandfathering policy to be the most equitable solution to our existing students, and we will continue to represent the best priced, most fun aviating in the southland.
Blue Skies,
- Mike
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)