By Jim Timm 
September 2015
The summer heat is really beginning to wear thin for me and flying in these temperatures is not much fun. I hope some of you are able to fly to cooler climes and have some fun. Hopefully next month the evenings are going to start cooling down and we can have some cooler mornings for flying. It was great to meet some of you at the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh this year, and hope everyone has had a fun summer.
At this year’s EAA AirVenture, there was a very significant amount of UAV technology presented. A number of UAV suppliers, schools with UAV programs, and UAV organizations were present, providing a tremendous amount of information on the applications and capabilities of UAVs. There was also a large area completely enclosed with netting where various UAVs were demonstrated and their capabilities were amazing to see. While sitting in on a couple of the UAV discussion forums, it was very shocking to listen to UAV industry legal representatives who are working with the FAA in Washington discussing UAV operations and regulation, and hear how out of touch they are with the reality of operating in the real world with general aviation and commercial aircraft. It was very frightening indeed. This has been emphasized by the rapidly increasing number of reported incidents of aircraft sighting and having close encounters with drones, or UAVs, in airport traffic patterns nationwide. We have heard a report of several fairly recent drone encounters in the Glendale Airport (GEU) traffic pattern. I fear the situation may get much worse before it gets better. I just hope not too many people have to get hurt before it the situation gets under control.
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
As we start to move into the fall season, it’s also time to begin giving thought to Sports TFRs. With the start of the football season and PIR racing events, many of these venues may very likely have a TFR associated with it because of its size. So, please be aware and beware, especially in the Phoenix West Valley area. Don’t accidentally blunder into one of these TFRs. With the presidential election coming up, be especially careful of any VIP TFRs, and remember, these can be very serious as they are established and administered by the Secret Service, not the FAA. Also, don’t forget to keep a watch out for the numerous, and ever changing, forest fire TFRs.
Once again, there has been another round of GPS interference testing going on in California and New Mexico that could impact us in central Arizona. And again, if you do encounter inflight problems with getting a useable GPS navigation signal, even for a short interval of time, it is important that you contact ATC, providing the date, time, location and altitude the problem is noted, and please also advise us at the APA.
The cellular communications company, LightSquared, that a couple of years ago had proposed a nationwide cellphone network whose signals were shown to disrupt GPS signals, is back once again, asking the FCC to force GPS companies to help solve the technical issues that killed its plans a few years ago. At that time, LightSquared had acquired a band of radio spectrum right next to the frequencies used by GPS satellites to broadcast timing information to GPS receivers. Because the cell signals are exponentially more powerful than the tiny GPS signals from space, they can effectively jam the GPS signals. After some controversy, the FCC suspended LightSquared's application. We will again have to stand by and see what happens this time around.
As a reminder, there is a significant amount of construction activity going on at many of the Phoenix area airports, specifically at Gateway Airport (IWA). At IWA there is going to be construction occurring on runway 30C which will require shutting down the ILS to the center runway at times. To make matters worse, we were advised that Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) has issued a NOTAM restricting training there. (No Touch and Go or Stop and Go operations). Some training has been permitted there in the low traffic early morning hours (approximately one to four AM). Check for NOTAMs before taking off to avoid surprises when you arrive at your destination.
During the month of September, the U.S. Marines will be conducting a training exercise in the Phoenix Metro area. They will have tactical demonstrations at the University of Phoenix Stadium, and at several high schools and colleges in the area. The exercises will include helicopters, Tilt Rotor, F-18, JSF, and C130 aircraft. The aircraft will be staging in and out of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. They will also conduct a flyby at the National Cemetery on 9/11. The USMC chose Phoenix as a key area for an outreach and recruiting effort.
From a safety standpoint, there has been an increase in runway incursions system wide. Please use care when taxiing and watch for the hold lines. This past Arizona aviation accident reporting period has fortunately continued to be rather good in that the NTSB had only reported two accidents, and both appeared to have been minor in nature. See my September accident summary for the details.
APA is still working with various airports around the state, providing the pilot and aircraft owner perspective in the process of updating their Airport Master Plans. An update of the Sedona Airport is starting and the Deer Valley Airport (DVT) master plan update is still in process.
THINGS TO DO - PLACES TO GO FOR BREAKFAST:
The first Saturday of the month fly in breakfast at Coolidge Municipal Airport (P08) has stopped until next October.
The second Saturday of the month, Ryan Field (RYN) fly in buffet breakfast has also stopped for the summer. Breakfast is available at the restaurant however.
The Falcon Field EAA Warbirds Squadron Breakfast on the third Saturday of the month has stopped until October.
The third Saturday of the month there is a fly in breakfast at Benson (E95) at Southwest Aviation. (There are special fuel prices for breakfast attendees.)
The last Saturday of the month there is still a fly in breakfast at Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ). The Airport has a new restaurant, Foxtrot Cafe, operating in the Terminal Building. They are open 6:30am to 2:00pm Monday thru Saturday, but on the last Saturday of the month they have a “fly in breakfast special” on the menu; the price for adults is $7 and kids $5.
Check with the APA Getaway Flights program and online calendar for fun weekend places to fly.