By Jim TimmJimTimm

NOVEMBER 2013

Fall is finally here and flying is once again comfortable and it’s now possible to go flying almost any time of the day without getting cooked alive in the cockpit or getting all beat up with the turbulence. Let’s get out there and enjoy it, but please fly safe!

Along with the cooler weather there are a lot of flying activities being scheduled. The major event coming up is the Copperstate Fly In at Casa Grande (CGZ) on October 24, 25 & 26. APA will be there in the main Exhibitor’s tent. Be sure to stop by and say hi and bring along a friend and get them signed up as an APA member. APA and the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) will be putting on a couple of very popular forums on back country flying in Arizona. We will be looking forward to seeing you there.


MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS


A big kick off for our flying season will be the Copperstate Fly In later this month on the 24, 25 & 26th of October, and it will again be at the Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ). Because of the government sequestration, the FAA will not be providing air traffic control for the event and the airport will operate as an uncontrolled airport as it normally does. While COPPERSTATE’s usual NOTAM will disappear along with the tower, much of the Fly-In information previously provided by the NOTAM can now be found in a Notice To Pilots, published on the COPPERSTATE website (www.copperstate.org). This information is provided as a courtesy to pilots, who are reminded that all operations during the event are at the pilot’s own risk and discretion.

Be sure to continue checking for NOTAMS before departing on a cross country flight. A significant number of airports around the state are still planning runway repair/upgrade projects. You don’t want to have a surprise when you arrive at your destination and discover the runway is closed for resurfacing or repair. We will try to advise you when we receive specific notices of major projects being started.

A bit of information was received by APA concerning possible suspicious activity in the Tucson area that could also possibly involve other airports in the state. The Tucson Airport Police has information to believe that an unidentified group from California is claiming ownership titles and registrations, fraudulent in nature, to aircraft in the region. They may also attempt to gain access or repossession of these aircraft. If any groups make contact with you making claims consistent with this type of action, contact the the airport or local police immediately. Do not take any further action.

The 41st Annual Arizona Safety Awards Banquet will be held on November 2, 2013, to recognize the outstanding Aviation Services Providers of the year. The recipients of these awards will next move on to compete at the regional level, and if selected there, to also compete for recognition at the national level. It’s a fun event with a good speaker and great door prizes. See the event flyer elsewhere in the newsletter for more details.

On November 14, from 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM at the Commemorative Air Force Museum at Falcon Field, the Mesa Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the Commemorative Air Force Museum and the East Valley Aviation & Aerospace Alliance, is inviting you to an evening of Aviation Fascination. You will be able to climb in a B-17 bomber, get up close to Boeing’s Apache helicopter, get a chance to win a Cessna Skycatcher and enter to win a pair of round trip tickets on Southwest Airlines. This is also an excellent opportunity to visit the CAF Aviation Museum for free.

Aviation safety needs to be a concern for all of us. From the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) records, there were two accidents reported in the last reporting period. Of the reported accidents, one resulted in a double fatality and the other accident did not result in any injuries. We need to take a careful look at what has happened in these accidents, take note, and do what we can to prevent something similar from happening to one of us. See my November Aviation Accident Report for the details of these two accidents.

We are continuing to work with airports around the state providing a general aviation user perspective in the process of updating their Airport Master Plans. We are presently working on the up dating of the Nogales International Airport, the Gila Bend Municipal Airport and the Bagdad Airport Master plans and an update of the Phoenix Sky Harbor FAA Part 150 Noise Study.


THINGS TO DO - PLACES TO GO FOR BREAKFAST:


The first Saturday of the month fly in breakfast at Coolidge Airport (P08) has been halted until this fall.

The last Saturday of the month there is still a Fly in breakfast at Casa Grande Airport (CGZ)
Time: 7:00 to 10:00 am. The Casa Grande breakfast will continue through the summer as it is held in the air conditioned airport terminal.

(Both of these fly in breakfasts are put on by a service group in their respective communities to raise funds for community service projects.)

The third Saturday of the month there is a fly in breakfast at Benson (E95) @ Southwest Aviation
(Rumor has it that there may be special fuel prices for breakfast attendees.)