Presidents Corner
by Darrel Cook

The Holidays are here and we have several club functions coming up. On December 13th we are having our annual Plane Wash and Family Potluck at the Royal Jet ramp. Even if you're afraid of soap and water or can't help wash planes, please come on out for the potluck. There is always lots of food and great people to eat it with. Maybe if we all ask nicely, Steve will bring his holiday-red race plane and the trophy he won at Reno this year.

Then on January 10th we are flying as a club to Palm Springs. There is a beautiful flight museum there and I'm sure we'll find someplace to eat. The formation flying we do is very loose and people can stay as comfortable as necessary for them. It is fun and we would like to see all of the planes full.

As I mentioned in last month's article and at the General Meeting, the board is seriously considering increasing the share values in the club. Right now we are looking at increasing them $200.00 in January to $800.00, and then again next January 2005 another $200.00 for a total share value of $1000.00. These added assets to the club will help make the club more solvent, and get us closer to the money needed to take care of the maintenance items that are always needed for the planes - not to mention the surprises that are always popping up. Even though this no where near represents the true equity value of the club, it will help and is always refundable when a member leaves the club.

The increased share value is especially important right now because we may have discovered potentially expensive engine trouble with 3015U. Metal was found in the oil filter and on disassembly one of the lifter tappets was destroyed and a cam lobe was hammered. (See Bob Finnin's article for details.) This is exactly the kind of contingency we need our reserve fund for. The Dakota is back on line and running wonderfully! 15U is temporarily out of service until its engine repairs and reinstallation, and it will be back in service before 8788E is taken off line to install it's new engine in mid-January.

Come Out To The Planewash and Holiday Potluck!

Don't forget that we're EATING after the planewash. Beer-steamed and grilled brats will be there as well as anything you'd like to bring or even cook on the grill. It's always been a great time and we've ordered up good weather. Try to bring a dish to share and coordinate with Bob Finnin (so we don't have a mountain of potato salad). See Bob's Operations article for contact information.

From The Old Timer
by Harry McCoy

A LOVE OF MY LIFE
Part 35--1954

Towing targets was not always the safest job in the world! One day I was towing for ships off Oceanside during one of those Marine maneuvers. When I made radio contact with them and asked what they were firing it turned out it was the big stuff, I suppose at least five inch shells. With that my beebe-stacker and I decided we wanted a little more clearance than 3000 feet so he let out 7000 feet of cable. After a couple of runs we lost the target and when he reeled in the cable, he informed me he only reeled in 1000 feet! Some of the gunnery tracking radars were very good (however seldom!) but when they were good, they would lock onto the cable and follow it right up to the aircraft. Thank goodness! Either I got out of range or the radar lost lock. We could have been swimming back to San Diego or been fish food!

Fallon, Nevada is a Naval Station used primarily for gunnery practice. They use miles of terrain north of the station for their ranges. I was assigned 2 JDs for a week several times and had good tours there. Here, I ran into the "rank" business again. It was very cold and frosty in the mornings and the frost on the wings had to be deiced before we could fly. We ran low and I asked the Supply Officer to give us some more. He informed me that I couldn't request it since I was enlisted! (Another Reserve Officer!) I went to the Operations Officer and told him that I would have to call my Commanding Officer since Supply wouldn't replenish our deicing fluid. That lit a fire, and we got what we needed (Deicing fluid had a high alcohol content and occasionally some sailor would try to get drunk on it. Sometimes it worked, and a few times it killed them)

We did two types of towing here. For fighters, we went to 15,000 feet and used about 3000 feet of cable. The Grumman Panthers and the McDonnell Banshees would make 'high side' runs on the target. Some of the jets had the new radar controlled guns, but I never knew how good or bad they were. I also don't know what kind of accuracy they got. Sometimes they painted the nose of the shells and the paint would rub off if the shell went through the target. This kind of towing wasn't inherently dangerous, but we did lose one of our enlisted pilots. A Banshee misjudged his run and hit the banner folding the bar over the leading edge of his wing. He pulled up steeply and the cable jammed the elevator in the up position on the JD. The JD was very tail heavy, in fact right at the aft edge of the CG envelope. He subsequently stalled, and went into a flat spin. Since the elevator was jammed, he had no control, and the only person to get out was one of the beebe stackers in the back. They both bailed out, but one of their chutes snagged the airplane. The one who survived was black and blue all over since his chute opened just before he hit the ground. The Banshee pilot landed OK, apparently after the banner bar came off the wing.

To be continued...

Safety Corner
by Richard Bartlett-May

Decisions, decisions, big ones small ones, why must life be so difficult?. Decisions are important and a part of our daily lives: what should we wear, what to have for dinner, is the weather good enough to fly today, and so on. How you make these choices sometimes determines how you will spend the rest of your life.

When several options are available from which to make a choice, take the time to evaluate each option. Quality time spent reviewing the options is never wasted, don't be pressured into rapid or hasty decisions. If you do choose to ignore those options, then that in itself is a choice. Don't let one factor give you tunnel vision; give all the options careful consideration. Then at the end, the decision you make, whatever it is, may not be the one you wanted, but it is the only one remaining.

The point is that you, the pilot in command, are responsible to make those choices, and make them early enough in the flight such that they are the best ones available under the present conditions. Just remember, though, that even the best choice, made under the best of circumstances, with the best and most complete information, with plenty of time, will not necessarily turn uncertainty into certainty.

Let's take a look at some of the decisions involved in any flight (this is general and is not a complete list by any means). First of all, during your very complete preflight preparation:

What route should I take? Can the airplane handle the altitudes and terrain?

How long will the flight take? Is there sufficient fuel aboard? Can I even carry sufficient fuel, considering the other things aboard (pax, baggage)?

Is the airplane properly (and legally) loaded?

Is the weather adequate for me and my airplane, either VFR or IFR as appropriate?

Do I need an alternate, required either by FAR or good operating practice?

Am I fit to fly - no illness, medication, or stress; any other physiological requirements met?

Next, the stage during the flight itself:

Is my cruise groundspeed as planned, or will I have to make a fuel stop?

Is the airplane performing as planned? Are all of the systems normal? If not, what should I do about it?

When should I begin the descent from cruising altitude?

Is the enroute weather as forecast or will I have to choose some other way to go?

Is the destination weather as forecast or will I have to go somewhere else?

How good is the weather at my alternate (of course, you did pick one)?

Which runway is in use at the destination? How much wind is there, and how well is it aligned with the runway in use?

Then, what about after the flight is completed?

Were my choices good ones?

Would I make the same choices again, given the same conditions?

What could I have done better? How could I have done it better? Or, what went wrong, and why?

One of the interesting things about flying is that it is as safe as you decide to make it. In 2004, resolve to make your flying career safe and live a long and full life. "There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots ...."

Operations Report
by Bob Finnin

As we enter the Holiday Season, I am pleased to have some good news but I also have some bad news. First the bad news:

3015U has had a problem developing the required RPM in both static runup tests and normal flight. After checking all settings on the engine, the oil filter was removed and taken apart, at which time metal was found in the filter. This should not have been the case. Consequently, 15U was taken off line until it has been determined what the problem is and repaired to our satisfaction. When the mechanics started going through the engine, they found one of the lifter tappets was shattered and that consequently caused one of the camshaft lobes to be destroyed. That's why weren't getting rated power; the affected cylinder wasn't producing any! The engine needs a new camshaft, lifters, and everything that goes into a reassembly (bearings and seals). We hope to have it back on line in a week from when you read this. So much for the bad news

The good news is 04K is back on the flight line and running beautifully! The engine and prop were reinstalled and the aircraft has been test flown. It's ready for members to use.

The other good news is that the (Lycoming) Factory Remanufactured Engine for 8788E is in San Diego and should be delivered to So. Cal. by the time you read this newsletter. We plan on taking 88E out of service for the engine swap in mid January.

404 is running well and continues to provide excellent service. It developed a minor tear in the sheet metal of the horizontal stabilizer which will be repaired by riveting a plate over the tear.

I apologize for any inconvenience these problems have caused but the problems we are experiencing need to be attended to. Remember that the December planewash day will be on the 13th of December and will be followed by our annual Holiday Potluck lunch. Please call me and let me know what dish you will be bringing so that I can assure us of a festive meal. (619) 579-2287. Leave a message if I am out.

Thanks for all the help and I hope to see you at the wash day and potluck!

From the Board of Directors
by David Cooksy

As we approach the end of another calendar the year the Board members are wrapping up business. As with recent Board meetings, discussion in November focused primary on the financial position of the Club. While the Club continues to be doing "okay", we are not making headway in creating a reserve fund for future capital improvements to the fleet. For example, per the financial records prepared each month by Treasurer Terry Paik, the Club should have in excess of $37,000 in reserve for such capital expenditures as engine replacement, paint and overhaul. The Club continues to make these necessary payments as they come due, but the recent accident with 04K has brought to the fore the need to establish a reserve fund for such contingencies.

Alternatives for raising revenue are limited to increasing hourly rates, monthly dues or member share. After several months of discussion both at Board and general membership meetings, the Board has opted for an increase in the member share as this is not only refundable upon separation from the club but that buy in share should more reflect that value of the fleet, which it currently does not. The member share is currently $600 and will increase to $1000 in $100 increments every six months for the next two years. This proposal was presented at the November general membership meeting and received favorable discussion. The schedule for implementation has yet to be discussed but it would seem appropriate to begin immediately, in January 2004. Details are forth coming and will appear in future editions of the CFI newsletter.

Treasure's Report
by Terry Paik

As of November 1, we had $15,064 in the bank. October P&L net was -$12,676 and YTD net was -$10,173; however we did pay $14,082 for the remanufactured engine for 88E.

Last month was a bit rough for the Club. We only flew 63.3 hours last month, and A/R balance is only $5,477. We are at 68 members. Reminder, the new rates effective November 16:

Cessna $57.00/hr
Archers $62.00/hr
Dakota $97.00/hr

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
tpdvm@cox.net

Remember, the more we fly, the cheaper we fly!