Executive Flyers September 2004 Newsletter
Congratulations to:
Ed Bradbury,
Steve Bultman,
Dayle Imperato
and Ryan Crane for soloing; Neal Davis for passing his multi-engine commercial and instrument rating check rides; Ron McBee for passing his commercial pilot checkride; Karl Schwendinger for passing his commercial single engine sea flight test; Will Gibler and Thomas Ishii for passing their private pilot check rides and Rick Cooper and Tamara Strandberg for winning the monthly drawing of an hour of instruction or a month’s dues.
Cut the cost of flying the twin
The cost of flying has been increasing over the years, and is high enough now that some flying may be prohibitively expensive for some of our members. One way to cut the cost of flying down is to share flights with someone else. We have done this in the past for instrument practice. We are starting a list of members who would be interested in flying with another member in our Piper Seminole twin to cut their rental costs. The requirements would be that you are multi-engine rated and checked out in our Seminole and meet the insurance minimums to rent the twin. If you do and would like to be added to the list, please email Ed or call the office. You can tell us if you would like your email address or your telephone number or both on the list. Then you can call the office to get the information about other pilots who want to share time and arrange a flight.
Mountain Flying
If you are planning to fly in or over the mountains this fall, you should get a mountain flying checkout or refresher flight. We normally go up to Truckee and South Lake Tahoe early in the morning to avoid the higher density altitude of the warm afternoons. You’ll find out how to make decisions about where to fly and where not to fly. By taking off and landing at the high altitude airports, you’ll see why Vx is important and actually feel the increased groundspeed on takeoff and landing. You can talk with the instructor about how to approach a mountain range to minimize danger should you encounter a down draft and how to use weather reports to decide whether to go into the mountains or not. Call the office to schedule a mountain checkout this month.
Instrument ground school
We have several people signed up for the instrument ground school, but need a few more to make teaching it economically feasible. This is an excellent time of the year to start the instrument work, as the more flying in actual conditions that you can get in your training, the more comfortable you will be when you get the rating. The cost is $150 for members and $200 for non-members plus the books and supplies. The instrument rating will allow you to fly more often and you will be a much better pilot when you have it.
Plan ahead
Although it is several months away, Christmas is coming up. If you are looking for a gift for a pilot friend or one for yourself that is not in our stock, please call Deena at the office during the week. She may be able to order it for you so that it will arrive in time for the holiday season.
On any flight away from Sacramento Executive airport, make sure that you check weather, the runway length at any airports on your trip and file a flight plan, if appropriate. If you are going to the mountains, check your performance tables for takeoff and landing distances and rate of climb for the forecast temperatures, as well as the winds at altitude.
If you are flying on a tight schedule and must be back at a certain date and time, please have a plan “B”. The best one is to have reservations on an airline or for a rental car for your return trip.
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last modified September 4, 2004 by Ed Callaway