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Presidents Corner December 2002 - I can't believe we are at the end of another year. My thanks to the Club's Board members for all of the work they do. Bob has been doing a great job keeping the planes up, running and looking great. Terry, as always, is keeping our finances in order. Jake has stepped in as safety officer and is updating the aircraft checklists, setting up interviews, processing new members, and providing safety programs for the general meetings. David has been keeping all of the club's records in top shape. Steve is publishing the newsletter and sending them out with your monthly statements. Finally, Chris is setting up club activities. With all of these great people, that doesn't leave much for me. Darn… Everyone in the club should feel secure that the club is in good hands. Be sure to thank these members anytime you see them at the field or at a meeting. December's meeting will be a washday/potluck and will be held on December 14th. We will wash the planes around 7 with the potluck to begin around 11. Hopefully we will have several other aircraft there to see. Howard is going to bring his Sky Arrow, while Jim is going to bring his Cirrus 22. Don may bring his Mooney and Coastal Fliers may have a newly painted and reupholstered 8788E! I wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season!
Editor's Corner In today's ultra politically correct, touchy-feely world, I almost hate to use the word "diversity" when describing our membership, but I can't help being impressed by the variety of skills and backgrounds shared by our members. If you haven't come out to one of our planewashes before - you really should! I see a lot of the same faces there each quarter and I can't help but wonder about the members I never get to meet. Come out and share a washcloth or a polish rag and get to know some of the great personalities that comprise this little organization. Of course, after the planewash, there's going to be an added bonus of what always seems to turn out as a great cookout and potluck. If you enjoy flying, what could be better than good food out on the ramp, talking with other pilots and their families and watching flight operations? Perhaps the only thing better is actually flying! Be sure to sign up for one of the group flights we have planned for early this year. And if you have a suggestion for a destination, make sure you make it known! January 2003 Calexico Plans It's time for another Coastal fly day! This time we are planning to fly to Calexico International Airport and have lunch on the 5th of January 2003. If I remember from my student pilot days Calexico is one of those airports that have a light colored runway that matches the surrounding desert, which makes for a fun adventure locating it while avoiding Mexican air space. As of this writing, I have reserved three of our four airplanes. Let me know who wants to go by email cjpilot@ix.netcom.com or 760-529-0111. I will keep a list and we can determine who flies what legs and who is in what plane. I am planning for a wheels up time of around 1000 to let some lingering morning clouds dissipate and this would get us to arrive around lunch time (1100). An opportunity to fly with other pilots and with other similar airplanes is a great experience. It affords the opportunity to compare performance and pilot technique and even have some fun flying a loose formation. It provides many experiences to add to your hanger flying story arsenal. Invite your other pilot friends as well. The more planes and pilots who go make for a more enjoyable time. A brief introduction: Eric submitted this next article over a month ago, and when I started to read it I realized that he wasn't just writing about the Reno Air Races - Eric is very much a participant! Since then, I've been snooping around, trying to learn more about Formula One (don't anyone tell my wife!). Both David Rose who won the Biplane Gold Class and Charlie Greer who placed third in the Formula One Gold Class think Eric walks on water! He was instrumental in the modification, setup and preparation of both of their aircraft. In addition, Eric entrusted me with several stunning photographs. For more information here are some great Reno related links. Enjoy!
The 2002 Reno Air Races 
Click on an image for a larger view
Last year, in September of 2001 I went to the Reno Air Races with the intention of winning the Biplane Class for the third straight year, and possibly setting a new speed record. An unforgettable terrorist act suddenly changed the 2001 race week into a static ground display. It was late December before we could fly the plane home. This year we went to the air races with the same intentions. The weather couldn't have been better - a light jacket in the morning, which came off about 9:00 a.m., by 10:30 a straw hat and sun block were the order of the day. The density altitude gradually climbed to 8200 ft. With David Rose at the controls we bettered the previous qualifying record by nearly 10 mph at 226.919 mph. In the first heat race we set a new race record of 224.2 mph (6 lap average). The second heat race we raised the bar to 225 mph and a single lap record of 229 mph. For the Gold Cup Race it was windy and turbulent, the speeds were down but we still finished first. Norm Way in a Pitts S-1S finished second, and Stephen Brown in a Pitts Special finished third. Twenty-one biplanes comprised the Gold, Silver and Bronze classes. The Formula One Class had twenty-four entrants. Gary Hubler in a Cassutt IIIM named Mariah finished first. Ray Cotte's Alley Cat flown by Hep Porter finished second and Charlie Greer's Miss B. Havin finished third. Charlie was so pleased with the engine and fabrication work I did, he gave me his trophy! (Of course he kept the prize money... ) The Sport Class (kit planes of five or more delivered to customers) improves every year. There were seventeen planes entered. Darryl Greenamyer in his Lancair Legacy set a new qualifying record of 347 mph and finished first in the Gold Cup Race. One can only marvel at how smooth and consistently he flies the courses. Throughout the race his AGL never changes and he is always in ground effect. John Parker in a Thunder Mustang finished second and Dave Morss in a Lancair L2K finished third. The T-6 Class was loud and obnoxious as usual. The Jet race (L39s) is an exhibition class and choreographed. It is different and a real crowd pleaser. The Unlimited Class remains the biggest draw. It is the fastest class and has a thundering sound that adds to the excitement. Skip Holm in a highly modified Mustang Dago Red set a new qualifying record of 497 mph and dominated the class. Michael Brown in a Sea Fury September Fury finished second, and Matt Jackson in a modified P-51 Voodoo finished third. There were a total of 28 unlimited planes entered, fourteen P-51 Mustangs, nine Sea Furies, four Yaks, and one Bearcat. The preceding only scratches the surface of all the activities. I haven't heard anything official about an attendance record, but they ran out of general admission tickets, pit passes, and programs. By Sunday, the vendors' shelves were getting bare. No terrorist act can discourage us or keep us down for long! If you weren't there you missed a great show. Next year's races are scheduled for September 12 through 14, 2003. Hope to see you there! Safety Corner At the November general meeting, several members shared their accounts of near midair collisions around the local area. Chances are that if you fly around this area long enough, at some point you will unintentionally fly closer to another plane than you want to. To help combat the threat of mid air collisions, the FAA has established a "Near Midair Collision Reporting Program." The FAA defines a near midair collision as a situation where a collision hazard exists due to a proximity of 500 feet or less, or at any proximity where a flight crew feels a collision could have resulted. If you become involved in a near midair collision, you are urged to report it immediately to the FAA. There are two methods of reporting these events. The first method is to contact ATC or FSS by radio or telephone. If you choose to radio or telephone your report, make sure you specifically express that you wish to report a near midair collision. You may also submit your report in writing to the nearest FSDO. The required items in a near midair collision report are…
Once the FAA has your information, they will begin an investigation to try and determine the probable cause of the incident. A representative from the FSDO may contact you for an interview if more information is needed. Operations Report 46404: All systems are working well with no problems this month. 2904K: The problem with the auto-pilot has been repaired and the aircraft is ready to be flown. 8788E: Has been taken to the paint shop. The paint stripping is underway. The seats and interior upholster were removed and sent to the upholstery shop. Seat belts were removed and sent out to be repaired. Three belts have been repaired and returned. The fourth was back ordered but should be in soon. 3015U: Seat belts were re-webbed and reinstalled. The auto-pilot was checked out and found to be unplugged at the AI. The connection was made and all seems to be working well. A new left main gear tire and a new landing light were installed. The door lock was also repaired. Fly often, fly safe! From the Board of Directors As the November Board meeting was called to order, a few moments were spent commenting on the wonderful weather available to pilots in Southern California. While conditions have changed a bit since the first week of November, I am sure you recall the unlimited visibility both day and night, light winds and temperatures in the high 80's. For nearly two weeks we had ideal conditions to fly. The Board addressed the usual business issues, i.e., Treasures Report, the Operations Report, and membership. Not to take away from any of the other Board member reports usually offered in the newsletter, I will say that the net income for the month of October was $935.80, current assets in the bank are $23,208.00. Last November the assets were $3,633.00 While the Club is much stronger financially than a year ago, the Board remains focused on building the reserve fund to a much stronger position. That can only occur through the fiscal management of funds and increased revenues in the form of more flying hours. For example, the Club flew only 97.3 hours in the month of October. The following are the monthly average hours per aircraft for the past year: 88E: 33.3 15U: 37.7 404: 37.3 04K: 20.5 All four aircraft are in fine condition. With the exception of a inertia reels on the seat belts of 15U, an oil leak in 04K, all aircraft are fit for flight. As you know, 88E is off line for the entire month of November receiving new paint, carpet and upholstery. The aircraft is due back by the first week of December. The Club membership currently stands at 68 members with Scott Vowles and Gary Dennis being our newest members. Welcome to them, we look forward to your participation in CFI. Safety Office Jake Wilkerson reports a waiting list of six and will conduct interviews over the next two weeks to fill the two open membership positions. Please mark your calendar to attend the December 14, 2002, quarterly wash day. We gathering at Royal Jet at 7:00 a.m. to being washing and waxing the planes. The December event is also the annual potluck. The Club will provide sodas, paper goods and hotdog/hamburgers but the side dish is what makes the event. Please contact Operations Officer Bob Finnin to coordinate your contribution. The more people that participate the quicker we can get to the food. While we have this down to a science, more people will always make it easier. Finally, the Club has scheduled January 5, 2003, as the next formation flight. The destination is Calexico for breakfast. Please contact Vice President Chris Jensen for details or to reserve a seat. The final Board meeting of the year is December 5, 2002, and will be at the usual place and time, Darrel Cook's house at 7:00 p.m. As always, all Club members are welcome, encouraged to attend and to participate. Treasure's Report As of November 1, we had $23,208 in the bank (last Nov. 1 we had $3,633). October P&L net was $936; YTD $20,459. We only flew 97.3 hours last month, and A/R balance is $7,722. The average monthly hours for 2002 are:
Flight Stats for 11/01-11/02:
The Club is in good financial shape; we are holding our own but are not making rapid headway in building our reserves. However to keep our rates down the aircraft must fly! Remember, the more we fly, the cheaper we fly! |
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