Read more: October 2021 Executive Director's Report
    The fall weather is supposed to be on us, and fortunately the temperatures have come down a bit and the mornings have produced some really great cool flying. I certainly hope we are through with the really strong damaging monsoon winds that we had this year that blew in hangar doors and upset airplanes that were outside. Here is hoping that we can put this
Read more: September 2021 President’s Report
  Greetings, The recent massive advances in avionics technology in just the last five to ten years is astounding. My steam gauge Comanche has been considered modern only a couple times in its life. In 1960 when new and outfitted with a complete IFR package, and again in 1989 when we took ownership of it and installed a civilian radio package and updated IFR gear after
Read more: September 2021 Executive Director's Report
    The monsoon weather has been interesting to say the least. It’s taken down trees around the various airports, and caused other minor, and in some cases, major damage because in some cases it’s done in some airplanes also. Apparently, it wasn’t always because the airplanes weren’t properly secured. I was told, in one case, the tie down rings were torn out of the
Read more: August 2021 President’s Report
  Greetings, In my career in the defense industry, I’ve traveled to some pretty incredible places around the world. I’ve been able to take in bucket list items around the globe and still grab any chance to travel that I can. I’ve taken some epic trips in our Comanche that I’d love to do again. Alaska to Florida, the Bahamas, Oshkosh (when it was still Oshkosh), Sun ‘n’
Read more: August 2021 Executive Director's Report
    Well, here we are, in the middle of the monsoon season with its rain. There was about a week that the flying weather really wasn’t very good. Highly unusual for Arizona, where unlimited visibility is usually the rule. The other weekend, when a group of us would normally fly somewhere to have breakfast, it was drizzling rain, and the discussion was that we may
Read more: July 2021 President’s Report
  Greetings, It seems that every year vast swaths of our precious forests catch on fire. A variety of causes are always to blame: lightning, car fires, errant sparks, campfires... Arizona's extreme heat and near constant drought conditions result in perfect conditions for these fires to propagate. You may ask what this has to do with flying. Lots. The recent fires
Read more: July 2021 Executive Director's Report
    Summer sure is here! It seems like you can’t get up early enough to beat the heat. The bugs must have got it figured out though, as I noticed that on the last few flights that I hardly pick up any bugs, and it didn’t take much to clean the windshield. I think the airplane may be handling the hot weather better than I, because the last time I flew out for
Read more: June 2021 President’s Report
  Greetings, Another first in APA history has occurred; APA members voted for Board of Directors terms via an electronic ballot! Thank you for participating and making your voice heard. I also thank you for placing your confidence in the current board members, as each up for election was retained. Since APA’s founding, these elections have been in person at annual
Read more: June 2021 Executive Director's Report
  Summer may be rapidly approaching, but in actuality, the flying weather hasn’t been bad at all. It’s been a bit windy at times, that can be particularly challenging for us taildragger pilots, but really not too bad temp-wise in the mornings. I’m bracing myself for what’s to come. I sure hope we don’t have a hot one like last year. I think I’m getting too old for that
Read more: May 2021 President’s Report
  Greetings, I’m writing this column after a particularly tragic weekend of Arizona flying. Two separate fatal accidents and several incidents across the state bring attention to the risks associated with flying. While the causes of these accidents are still under investigation, now is a good time to reflect on your options to reduce your risk. Fuel starvation