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Published: 20 September 2026

  By Mike McCann APA Day Trip Coordinator   The aviation and weather gods must have been shining on APA in August as our trip to the Grand Canyon Airport and walk to the small town of Tusayan for breakfast was a big success. Some say that you can’t do breakfast flights during the Arizona summer months; however, we had a record 28 pilots and guests as well as 14

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Published: 20 September 2026

  by Jim Timm   The following are the reports of aviation accidents/incidents that have occurred in Arizona from mid-July through the end of August. We hope to use the following detailed accident information to develop safety programs, briefings, and posters/flyers that would help pilots learn from the mistakes being made by others and be able to take the

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Published: 17 September 2026

  By Leanne Tawoda Grapevine Coordinator   Hello APA Pilots, August has arrived and so have thoughts of the 2026-2027 Grapevine Fly In Weekends.  I encourage any pilot that hasn’t attended a weekend to come and join us.  You may be surprised at what you have missed. Grapevine airstrip is one of a kind. An asphalt runway on the edge of Roosevelt Lake

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Published: 17 September 2026

   by Jim Timm   There were two Near Mid-Air Collision incidents reported during the last reporting period; one occurred on June 16, and the other occurred on July 21, 2026.   Date: June 16, 2026 Location: Scottsdale Airport (SDL) A helicopter was transitioning from the Scottsdale Class Delta Airspace VFR at 3,000 feet. A Citation was issued a

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Published: 15 September 2026

  Summer is supposed to be moving on, but it’s still hot. I guess I’m getting old and crabby, but I still say it’s hot, and I really don’t enjoy the flights on Saturday morning for breakfast like I should.  So in spite of the heat, let’s go flying anyway, and keep the skills up where they should be. It was good weather for AirVenture in Oshkosh, and it was good to

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Published: 14 September 2026

  Welcome to the September 2026 Edition of the APA Approach! The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has released the draft 2026 Arizona State Aviation System Plan (SASP) for public comment. The SASP is a 20-year roadmap, covering the states airport system through 2044, and is the primary document through which ADOT evaluates airport performance, prioritizes

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Published: 14 September 2026

   by Jim Timm   These pilot deviations need to be examined to determine if a common thread exists that we should address to help reduce the number of deviations that continue to occur and thus enhance aviation safety. In the reporting period from June 12 through August 7 there were nineteen deviations reported by the FAA SDL FSDO. These deviations were

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Published: 20 August 2026

  by Jim Timm   The following are the reports of aviation accidents/incidents that have occurred in Arizona from June through July. We hope to use the following detailed accident information to develop safety programs, briefings, and posters/flyers that would help pilots learn from the mistakes being made by others and be able to take the necessary action to

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Published: 15 August 2026

  The summer heat is on, and it has been a bit challenging to go on some of the jaunts for Saturday morning breakfast. In some cases, I’ve simply avoided them because of the heat, but if you’re up to it, let’s go flying! This month’s report may be bit limited because I will be going to the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, along with many others in the aviation

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Published: 15 August 2026

  By Howard Deevers   We have talked about Density Altitude many times. Now let us talk about the airplane and the people in it. Anyone that lives or visits Southern Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and other states affected by the excessive heat of summer, know that the heat can be very uncomfortable for us, and for our airplanes. Let’s not forget about the effects