PMLAA - News Archive

Through-the-fence agreements—arrangements that allow off-airport property owners direct access to an airport's taxiways and runways—are a source of growing controversy as airparks with housing developments are becoming increasingly popular adjacent to publicly funded airports. To help members understand the issue, AOPA has produced a white paper, available online, that explains how through-the-fence operations work, the FAA's position on them, and available steps to address conflicts between such operations and FAA policy.

Saturday November 17 at 12:58 PM, Jim Thomas' Legacy flew for the first time. The flight lasted approximately 20 minutes and it was uneventful.

Congratulation to Jim Thomas for a job well done!!! See all the pictures HERE. To see a slideshow HERE.

"Another bird joined the flock yesterday when Dave Morss test flew my Legacy. After a six year build process it was quite a thrill to see it get in the air. Dave performed a thorough airworthiness inspection then performed a 20 minute test flight which ended with a smooth landing. He provided me with a short list of squawks that I fixed and then I flew the plane for the first time. What a thrill. I want to thank Scott Alair and Jim Coelho who flew chase for me.

Jim Thomas
Legacy #166"

Join us at the Peebles’ hangar, August 4th at 5:30pm for a potluck dinner and an entertaining talk by Paul and Dick recounting their "north to Alaska" adventures.

CFI meeting at the Gai's Hangar on Saturday February 3rd at 10 AM to discuss TSA (Transportation Security Administration) http://www.tsa.gov/ as it applies to General Aviation at E45.

For recurrent security awareness training, TSA provides a Recurrent Security Awareness Training module online
(http://tsagov.edgesuite.net/assets/pdf/recurrent_flight_school_module.pdf)
that can be used to meet the requirements.

This is not a real online course, it is just a pdf file that needs to be studied. The study requires the CFI to interact with the airport manager, and this is what we are going to do on Saturday February 3rd at 10 AM (Jim Thomas will be at the meeting)

For more information, please visit http://www.aopa.org/tsa_rule/

At the completion of the recurrent training each CFI can endorse himself/herself.

The meeting is open to all CFIs (even if they are not based at E45) and to interested pilots (even if the training is a requirement for CFIs, not for pilots).

If you haven't already taken your initial security awareness training you can do it online at:
http://download.tsa.dhs.gov/fssa/training/.

New MDAs (Minimum Descent Altitudes) for E45

Warning: the FAA has changed the minimums for the Instrument procedures to E45.

The new minimums are significantly higher than previous.
For example the MDA on one of the approaches is now 4140 ft.

Be sure to have updated charts and check Notams before flying.

Aircraft Ground and In-Flight Icing On-line courses

Member's opinions

Joke :-)

PROPOSED FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATION ACT

1000.A No pilot or pilots, or person or persons acting on the direction or suggestion or supervision of the pilot or pilots may try, or attempt to try or make or make attempt to try to comprehend or understand any or all, in whole or in part of the herein mentioned Federal Aviation Regulations, except as authorized by the Administrator or an agent appointed by, or inspected by the Administrator.

1000.B If the pilot, or group of associated pilots becomes aware of, or realizes, or detects, or discovers or finds that he, or she, or they, are or have been beginning to understand the Federal Aviation Regulations, they must immediately, within three (3) days notify, in writing, the Administrator.

1000.C Upon receipt of the above mentioned notice of impending comprehension, the Administrator will immediately rewrite the Federal Aviation Regulations in such a manner as to eliminate any further comprehension hazards.

1000.D The Administrator may, at his or her option, require the offending pilot, or pilots, to attend remedial instruction in Federal Aviation Regulations until such time that the pilot is too confused to be capable of understanding anything.

Courtesy of Colleen Keller

Winter Tune-Up

Congratulations

Congratulations to Sandy DeRodeff for her first solo, Friday July 21st at South County.
The CFI was Tristan Duplan, aka the cute French guy J

June 3rd, Meeting

Castle Airport (MER) – Atwater/Merced, CA - Frequency Change Notice

At 0001 (Local) on May 8, 2006 the Unicom/CTAF frequency for Castle Airport (MER) will change to *_123.075 MHz_*. The Pilot Controlled Lighting (PCL) will remain on 123.00 MHz [ 3 clicks on – 7 clicks off]

This information will be NOTAM’ed and on the AWOS 124.475 MHz. It will be published by the FAA in the Jun 8^th edition of the Airport/Facility Directory.

Planes waterskiing

FAA web site about flying to Alaska

If you plan to fly to Alaska, please point your web browser to www.alaska.faa.gov/flyak/ for important information about flying in Alaska. Flying safely in Alaska requires skills that you may need to refresh. It will also require a thorough understanding and reevaluation of your own personal minimums. The website contains information about how to fly into Canada, which you will have to do; links to the Alaskan weather camera system; and links to help you focus your attention on personal minimums. Another important website is http://www.alaska.faa.gov/Index.cfm?Template=OtherLinks for important information about flying the Alaskan Highway, flying to Russia, CAPSTONE, the Medallion Foundation, the Circle of Safety, and you will find a toolbox for aviation weather.

Interesting aviation videos

Obtaining an IFR clearence at E45

The FAA Air Traffic Control has revised the airspace over Columbia and Pine Mountain Lake Airports. Oakland Center can no longer be contacted from the ground on 126.85 to obtain a clearance. Now, you must call either Norcal Tracon or Rancho Marietta FSS via a telephone. This is because Norcal’s transmitter is located in Manteca which cannot be reached while on the ground.

For VFR flight following you should contact Norcal Approach on the following frequencies once airborne:

By calling 1-877-ANY-AWOS you can connect to any ATIS / AWOS in the country. The only cost is you have to listen to a 5 second add for their premium service.

US PILOT and adventurer Steve Fossett yesterday broke the record for flying further than anyone in history without refelling. The 61-year-old, who set off in GlobalFlyer last Wednesday, took the record when he completed 26,389.3 air miles over Shannon in Ireland. The record-breaking flight came to a dramatic end when Fossett was forced to make an emergency landing in Bournemouth. Fossett was supposed to land at Kent International Airport but a massive electrical failure over Reading forced him to abandon the flight.

Bournemouth Airport was alerted and Fossett touched down there just after 5.30pm. Three-and-a-half days after taking off from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center carrying more than 18,000lbs of fuel, he landed with a little over 200lbs of it remaining.

After a quick medical check-up, Fossett flew from Bournemouth to Kent with the project sponsor, Sir Richard Branson. Last night Fossett said that during the 77-hour flight he only managed to take catnaps of no more than 10 minutes at a time, with an estimated total of two hours. He said: "I am tired, but okay. I am a really lucky guy. A lot went wrong on this flight. I am really lucky to make it to the end. This is a big success and I am really happy to make it."

Branson said: "He's just flown further than man or woman has ever flown. Generally a record like that has a team of 10 people in place. Steve has gone and done it solo. He's had pretty well no sleep ... he has been through an incredible amount. He's only half human, that's all I can say." The US adventurer endured an eventful journey in the experimental aircraft. The plane's ventilation system malfunctioned midway through the trip, causing temperatures in the 7ft cockpit to rise to over 50°C. Fossett was forced to drink a large part of his 10-litre water supply earlier than planned because of the heat.

Weak winds over the Atlantic and turbulence over India prompted fears that he would have to ditch his record-breaking attempt on the east coast of Canada. Instead, his flight team altered his projected route to take advantage of better winds.

Take action now !!!

The FAA has extended the comment period for the proposed permanent Washington, D.C., ADIZ for another 90 days. Protect your freedom to fly. Send your comments today.

Navigating the DC ADIZ, TFRs, and Special Use Airspace

Register Now - The objective of this course is to help pilots understand the requirements for operating in the DC ADIZ, around TFRs, and near other types of special use airspace. http://www.faasafety.gov/

That's AOPA's warning to pilots across the country. "In the Washington ADIZ, the operational horror stories come in to AOPA daily," Boyer says. "The FAA has tracked more than 1,900 ADIZ violations since 2003. None of the incidents has been determined to be terrorist-related and all but one violation have been inadvertent." Changing the D.C. area Class B airspace into a permanent new designation only sets the precedent for this to be duplicated elsewhere, he said. You have until Nov. 2 to express your opinion to the powers that be. Go to the docket for a copy of the proposed rule. The list of comments, already over 600 strong, can be reviewed at this link. Click on "Comment/Submissions" to add your own thoughtfully composed input.

With winter approaching, NASA is providing pilots with a way to help them avoid the hazards of ice contamination while their planes are on the ground.

NASA developed "A Pilot's Guide to Ground Icing." It's a free, online course intended primarily for professional pilots who make their own deicing and anti-icing decisions. It's the eighth in a series of training aids developed at NASA's Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, and the first about ground icing.

The following Notams apply to E45 and O22 and affects especially IFR operations:

Groveland CA (Pine Mountain Lake) [E45]: September NOTAM #29 issued by Rancho Murieta CA [RIU] Remote transmitter/receiver 120.95 instead of 126.85 effective from September 10th, 2005 at 06:00 AM PDT (0509101300)

Columbia CA [O22]: September NOTAM #28 issued by Rancho Murieta CA [RIU] Remote transmitter/receiver 120.95 instead of 126.85 effective from September 10th, 2005 at 06:00 AM PDT (0509101300)

Two weeks after Hurricane Katrina blew Bogalusa, Louisiana, apart, the first phone call has gotten through to the airport, and the story of general aviation's importance to a community has emerged. The single 5,000-foot runway at George R. Carr Memorial Air Field has become the hub of recovery operations for the community. The National Guard now protects the airport and conducts operations there. Aircraft serving the local paper mill, a major economic force in the community, bring company executives and supplies to assess damage at the mill.

The FAA says its main funding source, the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, is going broke and now is the time to start fixing it -- and it appears at least part of the solution will be found in pilots' wallets.

Earlier this week, various industry groups, from pilots associations to airlines, began receiving a package from FAA Administrator Marion Blakey that includes a survey of sorts into how they'd like to pay to operate the agency after the current trust fund's mandate runs out in 2007. And make no mistake, the question is not whether the payments will be made, it's how much and by whom.

AOPA spokesman Chris Dancy said the document is of "grave concern" to the pilot group and could result in a nationwide mobilization of its 400,000 members to protest. "We're working very hard on this issue. It is our number one issue," Dancy said. AOPA has been vocally opposing any talk of user fees since before the agency first started talking about them in 2004.

Finding places to soar just got even easier with the Soaring Society of America's revamped Web site (http://www.ssa.org). The site features an interactive map that provides information on more than 140 soaring locations across the country.

Last weekend Wayne Handley was a guest of PML with his famous Raven. Wayne delighted a small crowd of friends with the last low pass of the Raven over our runway.

Next week, on August 20th, Wayne will perform the last aerobatic show with the Raven at the Evergreen Aviation Museum, in McMinnville, OR, home of the Spruce Goose. The Raven will then become part of the permanent aircraft exibition at the Museum as a testimonial of a great plane flown by one of the greatest aerobatic pilots: Wayne Handley.

The International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) Foundation will induct Bill Sweet, Bob Herendeen and Wayne Handley into the Air Show Hall of Fame this December during the ICAS convention in Orlando, Florida.

Bill Sweet's National Air Shows productions helped define the air show business in the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s. He carried on the image of a traveling aerial circus with a collection of diverse and amazing pilots, aircraft and acts developed during aviation's barnstorming days.

Bob Herendeen became U.S. National Aerobatic Champion in his S-1C Pitts in 1966. That same year he also competed in the World Championships in Moscow, arousing considerable interest in Europe.

Wayne Handley will always been remembered for his many contributions to the air show industry, from his vision and innovation in designing the Turbo Raven to his safety advocacy and his world records

Effective September 1, 2005, pilots filing an FAA flight plan will be required to use a new set of aircraft equipment suffixes to indicate advanced RNAV and RVSM capabilities. The change marks the final phase of the plan announced in October 2004 that outlined a phased approach for operators to more accurately describe their aircraft's advanced RNAV and RVSM capabilities.

Pilots should not use the new suffixes before September 1, as this may result in a rejection of the flight plan. For a full listing of the new suffixes, visit the FAA website.

Propeller Noise

The biggest single factor in propeller noise is tip speed, that depends from the diameter of the propeller and its RPM. You can compute your tip speed at http://www.pponk.com/HTML%20PAGES/propellers.html. If you want to use paper and pencil you can apply the following equation:

Prop Diameter X Pi / 12 X RPM X 60 / 5280 = Tip Speed in MPH
Example: 86" prop turning at 2800 RPM
86 X 3.1416 / 12 X 2800 X 60 / 5280 = 716.4 MPH

The speed of sound is approximately 736 MPH (Mach1) at sea level, or more precisely:

Square Root (absolute temp + ambient temp) X 33.4 = Speed of Sound
Example: 59 degree F. day
Square root (460+59) X 33.4 = 760.9 MPH (speed of sound)

Tip Speed / Speed of Sound = Tip Mach Speed
716.4 / 760.9 = .942 MACH (to fast)

As the tip speed of your propeller approaches the transonic range, the noise level outside the aircraft takes a tremendous jump. The transonic range begins about 625 MPH, or Mach .85, and continues until the speed of sound or Mach1 at sea level. This increase in noise is much more apparent outside the aircraft than inside. Beginning at approximately 625 MPH, the tip of the propeller is going fast enough to cause compression of the air and is causing at least two mini sonic booms per revolution.

Also the propeller efficiency goes downhill very quickly as the tip speed gets near the speed of sound (contrary to popular belief, propellers almost never are designed with tip speeds near Mach 1.0).

The next table put it all together and shows the tip speed of your prop as a function of the Propeller Diameter and RPMs and it indicates the combinations that produce more noise.

To determine if your aircraft has a potential for excessive noise, look at the table. Generally speaking, aircrafts with 250 horsepower or more and two blade propellers are the biggest noise generator. Look closely at the chart to understand how important a 100 RPM reduction can be. A reduction of 100 RPM will usually reduce the excessive noise factor, and a reduction of 200 RPM is even better. On takeoff plan on reducing RPM as soon as you feel it is safe and the felloe neighbors will thank you.

One Six Right

One Six Right is an aviation documentary about the passion for flying centered around the life and history of an airport icon: Southern California's Van Nuys airport.

Fishing and Seaplanes

Have an idea for making the flying car of the future work? NASA wants to hear about it, and the space agency is offering $250,000 in prizes as encouragement. The Personal Air Vehicle Challenge, announced at AirVenture last month, will pay $25,000 each for advances in noise control and handling qualities. The biggest reward, $150,000, would recognize a vehicle with two to six seats that can fly at least 130 mph for a 300-mile range while being fuel-efficient and making good time door-to-door. The idea, NASA engineer Mark Moore told AVweb, is to encourage "chaotic" research. "We think we understand the problem at NASA, but we could be wrong," he says. "Some of the greatest technological innovations have come from somebody playing around in their garage." During a forum at Oshkosh, X Prize winner Burt Rutan was critical of prize strategies that offer inadequate cash incentives, saying the challenge must be less incremental and the reward must be big enough to stimulate interest and investment.

The transition from public to private operation of the flight service station system continues with high hopes for better service. AOPA President Phil Boyer said the program is on track to have Lockheed Martin take over the system as scheduled on Oct. 4. Lockheed Martin got the $1.9 billion contract in February and appeals by several other contenders have been rejected. Despite the controversy and doom-saying that has gone on, Boyer maintains the deal is a good one. "... We are convinced that this is the right thing at the right time for the benefit of GA pilots," he said. The contract includes performance guarantees that will ensure that phone calls to briefers will be answered within 20 seconds and radio calls within five seconds. Briefers will have system-wide access to weather and NOTAMs and pilots are guaranteed they'll get a briefer who knows local weather patterns and operations. AOPA is also warning there may be the usual start-up glitches during the transition and is asking that pilots report any problems to AOPA so they can be reported to the FAA and fixed.

AOPA says the FAA is cracking down on "illegal" charter, and what the agency considers against the rules might surprise you (or strike you as bizarre). "We know of crackdowns in at least two districts and that's prompted questions from members," said AOPA spokesman Woody Cahall. "They want to know what the FAA considers an illegal charter." Say, for instance, a couple of friends offer to pay the gas for a pilot to fly them in his plane. Technically, they've chartered the aircraft. Occupants of the plane are allowed to chip in for fuel and oil but only if the pilot pays an equal share. The rules get even stickier surrounding "training" flights. Simply having an instructor in the right seat does not make the flight instructional. If an inspector calls you on it, you'll have to show that the flight is appropriate for the skill level and training goals that you're working toward. For instance, a student pilot working on the cross-country phase of training would probably be allowed to pay for a flight with an instructor in another light single. But if the same flight was in a complex, high performance or twin-engine aircraft, it would be deemed a charter.

Ten classic American aircraft from the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s take to the skies in the form of postage. The stamps will be available at Post Offices and Philatelic Centers nationwide.

The header illustration includes a Hughes H-1 racer and Boeing’s YB-52 Stratofortress.

Stamp illustrations and header design were painted by award-winning historical aviation and landscape artist William S. Phillips, who also created the artwork for the 1997 Classic American Aircraft collection. The stamp sheet was designed by EAA member Phil Jordan.

EAA Establishes List of Factory Built S-LSA

A complete list of sport pilot-eligible aircraft, including special light-sport aircraft (S-LSA), standard category and experimental aircraft, is now available online at www.sportpilot.org. EAA assembled the list as an easy reference for sport pilot enthusiasts to learn which aircraft meet the definition of a light-sport aircraft and which of the latest designs meet the ASTM consensus standards for design, production, quality assurance, maintenance, and continuing airworthiness.

August 30, 2004 - EAA's sport pilot website now includes a new, condensed version of the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft Rule. The pdf download (http://www.sportpilot.org/rule/sp_rule.pdf) eliminates the 352-page preamble and reduces the original FAA rule from 100 pages to 19, making viewing and printing the rule much easier.

February 28, 2005 - An electronic copy of the FAA's Best Practices Guide for Maintaining Aging General Aviation Airplanes is now available for download in PDF format on the EAA website (http://www.eaa.org/communications/eaanews/agingbestpractices9021.pdf). This guide, created by a ad hoc coalition of aviation organizations, including EAA and the VAA, continues to show mechanics and owners a clearer approach to maintaining aging aircraft. It provides excellent guidance for owners and type clubs to develop checklists and other information specific to a model type.

Aviator's Inn

The Aviator's Inn will open March 15th for overnight lodging for pilots and planes on Pine Mountain Lake Airport. It is a new lodging owned and operated by Elizabeth TeSelle and Bob Hornauer (see article at page 3) who are also the owners of the Alpenglo Bed and Breakfast at Manzanita Hill.

The Aviator's Inn is located on the private taxiway off Woodside road and will provide complimentary coffee and tea. The contact information is 209-962-4541, 888-534-2244, www.manzanitahill.com innkeeper@manzanitahill.com

The dawn of a new aerospace industry

The aerospace industry is about to undergo changes as dramatic as the transitions from mainframes to PCs and from the science/R&D/military Internet to today's vibrant, commercial, vulgar World Wide Web. And like Net entrepreneurs, those in the new world of flight will meet resistance from the old guard: Read legacy airlines for mainframes and discount carriers for the minis. Air taxis will be to the aviation old guard what PCs are to mainframes. And space tourism will appall the purists of old just as e-commerce annoys the scientists.

That transformation will create the same kind of opportunities and open up the same kind of capabilities for personal, user-controlled exploration of new territory. It will also create great discontinuities in established business models and living patterns.

New FAA Seaplane Handbook Available

The FAA has released a new Seaplane, Skiplane, and Float/Ski Equipped Helicopter Operations Handbook. The handbook is available through the FAA the FAA Web Site in PDF format or printed copies can be purchased through ASA.

This operational handbook introduces the basic skills necessary for piloting seaplanes, skiplanes, and helicopters equipped with floats or skis. It is primarily intended to assist pilots who already hold private or commercial certificates and who are learning to fly seaplanes, skiplanes, or helicopters equipped for water or ski operations.

It is also beneficial to rated seaplane pilots who wish to improve their proficiency, pilots preparing for flights using ski equipped aircraft, and flight instructors engaged in the instruction of both student and transitioning pilots.

NASA is bringing better weather information to pilots and forecasters with the help of airborne sensors installed on a fleet of commuter airliners.

A team led by researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., designed, built and equipped dozens of Mesaba Airlines aircraft with the Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Report (TAMDAR) instrument. The TAMDAR sensor allows aircraft flying below 25,000 feet to automatically sense and report atmospheric conditions. Observations are sent by satellite to a ground data center. The center processes and distributes up-to-date weather information to forecasters, pilots and those who brief pilots.

The TAMDAR is compact and weighs only 1.5 pounds. The instrument measures humidity, winds, pressure, temperature, icing and turbulence with the help of location, time and altitude provided by built-in Global Positioning System technology. Large airliners fly above most weather and collect limited atmospheric data. When equipped with the TAMDAR sensor, regional aircraft, which typically fly below 25,000 feet, will provide more information to weather forecasters and the aviation community.

Private industry, meteorologists, researchers and scientists at weather forecast offices are part of the partnership that will analyze the data. The partners include NASA; AirDat; the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo.; Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, Mass.; Meteorological Service of Canada, Montreal; UK MET Office, London; and Meteorological Network of Europe, Toulouse, France.

The data the team collects could also benefit all weather forecasts and weather forecasting models, because it increases the number of observations in the lower atmosphere. There are only 90 weather balloon sites nationwide used to collect temperature, wind and moisture data from twice-daily atmospheric soundings. The Great Lakes Fleet Experiment will add 1300 more daily atmospheric soundings.

The NASA Aviation Safety and Security Program is part of NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. It is also in partnership with the FAA, aircraft manufacturers, airlines and the Department of Homeland Security. The program's goal is to develop technologies to help reduce the fatal aircraft accident rate, protect air travelers and the public from security threats.

Fossett Makes It!

March 3, 2005 - Fosset completes Record Solo Circumnavigation in Rutan-Designed GlobalFlyer Jet - Adventurist Steve Fossett closed the loop today at about 1:45 p.m. Central Time, landing safely in Salina, Kansas, to complete his incredible journey around the world in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer without refueling. He left that very airport Monday evening and remained airborne as he flew east around the world for the next 67 hours, 2 minutes and 38 seconds in the Burt Rutan-designed single-engine jet. Fossett's first comment after emerging from the cockpit: "That is something I wanted to do for a long time." He thanked Scaled Composites, builder of the aircraft, Virgin Atlantic, and host Kansas State University at Salina. More postflight information is available at www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com

General aviation has never been safer, and accident statistics for 2004 prove it. Last year saw the fewest GA accidents since record keeping began in 1938 and the lowest number of fatal accidents since 1945, according to preliminary data from the NTSB. The total number of GA accidents dropped 8.4 percent compared to 2003, while the number of fatal accidents declined 11.4 percent. The numbers also improved for instructional flying, with total accidents down 11.7 percent and fatal instructional accidents down 50 percent. (There are very few fatal instructional accidents in any year. Last year there were 17.)

Instrument Procedure Handbook

The FAA is pleased to announce that the FAA-H-8261-1, Instrument Procedures Handbook (IPH), is available on the FAA web page at http://av-info.faa.gov/terps/IPH.htm. The IPH has been an extraordinary undertaking for the FAA with its scope, depth, and quality of content. The Instrument Procedures Handbook is a now a reference for the Practical and Knowledge tests. The IPH expands upon information contained in the Instrument Flying Handbook and introduces advanced information for IFR operations that will help pilots and flight crews keep up with the changes that are taking place in the National Airspace System. The IPH is designed as a technical reference for professional pilots. Flight instructors and instrument students may find this handbook a valuable training aid since it provides detailed coverage of instrument charts and procedures including IFR takeoff, departure, en route, arrival, approach, and landing. Safety information covering relevant subjects such as runway incursion, land and hold short operations, controlled flight into terrain, and human factors issues also are included. Although the emphasis of the IPH applies to airplane operations, helicopter specific IFR operations are included.

Dr. W. Schimon is looking for pilots to help out with the Flying Sams organization. Dr. Schimon is in dire need of pilots to help with an upcoming clinic on April 24 and 25th where they will do cataract surgery and an eyeglass clinic. If you are interested and want to get some first hand information, call Mick Hopson who has done this type of flying before. Otherwise contact Dr. Schimon <WJS41@aol.com> directly.

Here is the note from Dr. Schimon: "I am in the process of reorganizing our central valley chapter of the flying sams and getting a head count of those of you who may still be interested in participating. We are definitely in need of pilots. You folks play an integral and important role in our mission to serve the poor and underserved of San Felipe. The drive takes 12 hours which is quite draining and tiring, but the flight takes a little over 4 hours. I have driven the route many times, roads are good, but the flight is much more pleasant. I am very excited because we now have an excellent medical facility St. James Hospital, with interested physician contact and participation through Dr. Somers, in order to see our patients now. We are off and running now finally with some support of the local San Felipe community. I believe in time, we will gain support from other local physicians, when they realize that we are organized and committed to serving their needs. Please send an e-mail back to me and let me know if you are at all interested in helping us continue in our mission. I would like to commite to 3 or 4 trips a year, and we will need to discuss your costs, because none of you should be expected to bear any out of pocket expenses for a trip to Mexico. Please reply to me when you can. Thank you."

Stacey Purifoy, a PMLAA member received her fixed wing private pilots license only 24 months ago at Springfield Aviation in Columbia. She then proceeded to accomplish her helicopter private pilots license, IFR Certification, CFI & CFII, having graduated many student pilots at Silver State Aviation in Utah. Stacey would now like to invite the PMLAA members to visit her in Las Vegas, where she is flying commercial helicopter tours for Papillion (note the big pink butterfly on the helicopter). Stacey flies the A Star Turbine helicopter on Hoover Dam, & Grand Canyon tours & down the Las Vegas strip at night. Stacey has logged over 1500 hours & will be moving to her ultimate goal of flying for the Forestry Service soon. Go visit her!

Tim & Cecilia Hallock relocated to Pine Mountain Lake in July of this year and operate their business, Aviation Design, out of 20940 Ferretti Road in Groveland. Aviation Design is a full service aircraft interior shop,

The January issue of The American Bonanza Society's ABS Magazine's cover feature is PMLAA member Bob Siegfried's pristine 1965 S35 Bonanza, photographed from his brother Rand's Beech E18S by Keith Zenobia.

New Anti-Theft innovation designed for cars may apply to airplanes. See the two online demos: Demo #1 Demo #2

Less than one year after her beloved husband Ted Carr passed away, Leigh Carr soloed in Half Moon Bay under the vigilant eyes of Rich Perkins.

"The solo was flawless and she was really excited" Rich told us," it was a very emotional moment for Leigh."

Leigh has long dreamed of earning her wings and is now one step closer to fulfilling the dreams she shared with Ted and her father. The license is now at an easy reach and we are sure that we will see Leigh flying to Pine Mountain Lake in a new plane, starting this spring.

Want to brush up on your radio navigation skills from the comfort of your home? Wondering what rush hour sounds like at airports in Okinawa, Japan, or Trondheim, Norway? LiveATC.net offers free access to live radio traffic from airports around the world. For more information, see the Web site (http://www.liveatc.net).

Click here (http://www.aopa.org/tsa_rule/ ) for the new AOPA Guide to the TSA's alien flight training/citizenship verification rule. Stay abreast of developments regarding this very confusing rule--it has been in effect since October 20th.

Ever fail to visually acquire traffic that ATC has called? Spotting traffic efficiently and rapidly requires knowledge about what you are trying to detect, just as knowing what to hear helps you understand noisy and mumbled radio transmissions. Click on the link below to download a free aid to judging the appearance of traffic at varying distances. This aid should be particularly useful for CFIs, student pilots or any pilot who occasionally fails to spot traffic called out by ATC (which is probably most of us!).

New MDAs (Minimum Descent Altitudes) for E45

Aircraft Ground and In-Flight Icing On-line courses

Member's opinions

Joke :-)

Winter Tune-Up

Congratulations

Congratulations

June 3rd, Meeting

Castle Airport (MER) – Atwater/Merced, CA - Frequency Change Notice

Planes waterskiing

FAA web site about flying to Alaska

Interesting aviation videos

Obtaining an IFR clearence at E45

Take action now !!!

Navigating the DC ADIZ, TFRs, and Special Use Airspace

Propeller Noise

One Six Right

Fishing and Seaplanes

EAA Establishes List of Factory Built S-LSA

Aviator's Inn

The dawn of a new aerospace industry

New FAA Seaplane Handbook Available

Fossett Makes It!

Instrument Procedure Handbook

New identifier for our airport