By Jim Timm

February 2016

I hope the New Year has started well for all of you. The flying weather has been pretty good and I hope you have been able to take advantage of it and get some flying time in. We ended last year with an outstanding safety record, and I hope we can maintain it for 2016. I’ll appreciate not having to write a long safety report each month. Many fly in events will be coming up and I will be planning on seeing you at them.

In the near future, anyone flying in airspace that currently requires the use of a mode C transponder, will be required to be equipped with ADS-B Out, and this upcoming requirement for ADS-B equipment has everybody’s attention, and there seems to be a lot of questions without many good answers. To help in providing more answers, the FAA has recently released a revised ADS-B advisory circular, AC 20-165B, “Airworthiness Approval of Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast OUT Systems.” This is the guidance material for those seeking approval for installation of ADS-B Out systems. This revision to AC 20-165 contains a number of significant changes including the elimination of the criteria that installation of ADS-B Out transmitters and position sources be automatically treated as a major alteration. This means ADS-B Out upgrades will still require the initial approvals, but within specific limitation, allows ADS-B Out installations to be treated as a “normal” avionics installation.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

Once again, we have received a last minute Flight Advisory Notice of GPS Interference testing at China Lake in California that could impact us in Arizona. As before, if you experience a short term GPS navigation problem, advise ATC and us at the APA, providing the date, time, location and altitude.

In a recent meeting, I was advised by the FAA that there is a problem with an increasing number of aircraft entering and passing thru the restricted area R-2310 between Florence and Florence Junction. Be advised, this area is being intensively used for UAV testing and UAV pilot training. A collision with a high density UAV could be devastating for an airplane of the size we fly. Avoid cutting thru this restricted area at any time. The restricted area isn’t very large, and I don’t think the UAV student pilots using the area are any better than our student pilots, and I would consider giving the area a wide berth. Be aware, and avoid a serious problem.

Be aware, there is going to be a significant amount of airport construction activity still going on in the Phoenix and Tucson areas, and 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 your preflight checklist.

The past aviation accident reporting period was relatively good with only one accident being reported by the NTSB. The bad news, however, was that it did involve four serious injuries. Perhaps the efforts put forth by the Wings Safety Teams with all the safety briefings has begun to pay off. Based on the low accident/injury rate in 2015, I hope we can get the pilots in Arizona to continue this trend and have a safe flying year in 2016. For more details go to my February Aviation Accident Summary report. By next month, enough of the 2015 NTSB accident information should be available to permit preparation of an accurate year end summary and comparison to previous years.

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), Deer Valley Airport (DVT), and Grand Canyon Airport (GCN) master plans are currently in process.

THINGS TO DO - PLACES TO GO FOR BREAKFAST:

• The first Saturday of the month fly in breakfast is at Coolidge Municipal Airport (P08).
• The second Saturday of the month, Ryan Field (RYN) fly in buffet breakfast should have restarted. However, breakfast is available at the restaurant next door.
• The Falcon Field EAA Warbirds Squadron fly in breakfast and car show is on the third Saturday.
• 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.)
• Also on the third Saturday, around noon, a donation lunch is served by the APA at the USFS Grapevine Airstrip over at Roosevelt Lake.
• The last Saturday of the month there is still a fly in breakfast at Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ). The Airport’s restaurant, Foxtrot Cafe, operating in the Terminal Building, is open 6:30am to 2:00pm Monday thru Saturday. On the last Saturday of the month they have a “Fly in Breakfast Special” available 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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