By Jim Timm JimTimm

October 2015 

It’s beginning to appear that fall is on its way with the mornings and afternoons becoming more tolerable for flying. With much anticipation on my part, the fun flying season is about to begin, while much of the country is looking forward to shutting down for the season, except those that enjoy ski plane operations. As we ramp up our flying operations, I hope everyone will also ramp up their safety awareness. So far this year, we have not had very many serious accidents, and I hope we can keep it that way.

The issue of having to cope with UAS, or drones, in the national airspace system is really heating up, and a lot of non FAA regulations are being considered or legislated around the country. Because of interference in fighting wild fires in California, legislation is on the Governor’s desk permitting firefighters immunity if they “take out a drone” by jamming signals or any other means. A number of other states are also considering similar action. This present lack of concrete rules to regulate all the unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, seems to be leading to chaos and dangerous close calls per some drone experts. The FAA appears to have the commercial use under control, but recreational use appears to be like the Wild West out there. Guidelines for use have been established, but getting compliance is problematic. I noted government and law enforcement have been quietly testing ways to disable rogue unmanned aerial systems. Apparently they are developing technology to track and disable them. The Secret Service is testing systems to take down UASs after the personal quadcopter crashed on the White House lawn. Perhaps they should consult with the town of Deer Trail, Colorado. Their solution was simple, probably very effective, and inexpensive: drone hunting permits with a bounty attached. Perhaps I should have gotten one when they were issuing them, but seriously, I hope the situation gets under control before someone gets hurt with one damaging an airplane or coming thru the windshield. If you do encounter a UAS where it shouldn’t be, or you come close to one, please be sure to file a NASA report on it!

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

As many of you may be aware, Flight Watch on 122.0 MHz was discontinued on September 24, and 122.2 MHz or other area remote communication outlet frequencies should now be used for access to all enroute flight services including Flight Watch.

GPS testing is still continuing. This time at Ridgecrest, California, and again at Alamogordo, New Mexico, and these could impact us here in Arizona, including the Phoenix and Tucson areas. Again, advise ATC and us at the APA, providing the date, time, location, and altitude if a momentary GPS navigation problem is experienced.

This fall there is still going to be a lot of airport construction activity going on, not only in the Phoenix and Tucson area, but also around the state. Be sure to check for NOTAMs before taking off for another airport so you don’t encounter a nasty surprise when you get there. Also, be sure to add TFRs to the items to be checked.

From a safety standpoint, runway incursions systemwide are still a problem. Please use care when taxiing and watch for the hold lines. The past Arizona aviation accident reporting period has unfortunately taken a downward turn in that the NTSB reported eight accidents. While this was the bad news, the good news was only two of the eight accidents involved injuries, and those were minor to serious in nature. See my October 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 (SED) and Deer Valley Airport (DVT) master plans are 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) restarts this month.

The second Saturday of the month, Ryan Field (RYN) fly in buffet breakfast should be restarting this month. However, breakfast is available at the restaurant next door.

The Falcon Field EAA Warbirds Squadron Breakfast on the third Saturday is restarting.
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.

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