By Jim Timm 
August 2016
I’m afraid this month’s report may be a bit brief and perhaps a bit disjointed because I’m writing it while I’m at the Oshkosh EAA AirVenture event. I haven’t had a chance to see anything yet, but it promises to be great once again, and the weather also promises to be great. We shall see! At least it is cooler and more comfortable than Phoenix for now.
After all of this time and effort, it’s hard to believe that it finally happened: on July 15, 2016, President Obama signed into law legislation that includes the third-class medical reform! The FAA now has a year to formulate and issue regulations which will require a valid driver’s license and a doctor’s checkup every 48 months, along with the completing of an aeromedical education course every 24 months for eligible pilots. The medical reform law will apply to pilots that have had a valid third-class medical within ten years of the bill’s signing, and have never had their medical revoked or denied. For pilots with third-class medicals with a special issuance, they would not have to be re certified unless they developed a medical condition that would require a new special issuance. Pilots that have never had a medical certificate would still have to get a one-time third-class medical certificate from an AME to participate in the new medical certification program. Pilots operating under the new rules would be able to fly privately in aircraft with no more than six seats, it may be complex or twin engine, have a maximum takeoff weight of less than 6000 pounds, have a maximum indicated airspeed of 250 knots, and fly no higher than 18,000 feet MSL. The pilot may operate in either VFR or IFR conditions. Be aware, pilots cannot take advantage of the new third-class medical reforms UNTIL the FAA develops and issues the new medical rules, and in the meantime, pilots will need to continue complying with the current medical requirements in order to fly. However, under the new law, the position is being taken that, if the FAA does not issue new regulations within one year from July 15, 2016, when the President signed the bill into law, the FAA cannot take enforcement action against a pilot for not having a valid third-class medical certificate, so long as the pilot makes a good faith effort to comply with the legislation. In the meantime, we will have to patiently sit tight and see how this all evolves.
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
It appears that there is becoming a significant proliferation of sky diving operations in the central part of Arizona, and knowing where they are all located can be difficult. We have just heard of a new one called the “Saw Tooth Jump Center” that is supposed to be located, generally, southwest of the Eloy Jump Center. The known locations of all the currently active sky diving operations are shown on this map.
A Note of Caution: If you are flying into Gateway Airport (IWA) general aviation terminal, it has
just implemented, effective July 1, 2016, a general aviation parking fee of $30 for aircraft parking at the terminal. The fee will be waived if you purchase 20 gallons or more of fuel. The restaurant in the terminal is presently closed, but is planned to reopen this fall. Be aware that if you plan to fly into the restaurant when it reopens, or if you plan to fly into attend an FAA Wings Safety Seminar or anything else, be prepared to add the $30 parking fee to your visit, unless you make the required fuel purchase. Unfortunately, what this amounts to is a $30 landing fee at Gateway Airport if you leave the runway and go to parking.
Significant construction is still ongoing at Williams Gateway Airport (IWA), and again, the ILS may be down from time to time. When planning instrument training, be sure to check NOTAMS before taking off to check on availability.
As reported earlier, the FAA is planning on decommissioning approximately 300 VORs across the country. While checking into the issue, I found that the list of the first 35 VORs to be cut do not include any in Arizona, and per the information I have been able to get from the FAA, it’s very unlikely that any in Arizona will wind up on the decommissioning list. They are eliminating what they consider to be “low use” VORs, and almost all are located in the eastern part of the country where there seems to be a very significant proliferation of VORs as compared to the numbers we have in the western part of the country. However, we will certainly continue to keep an eye on how this program progresses.
Be aware, there is a significant amount of airport construction activity going on at many of the airports in the Phoenix and Tucson areas, and also around the state this summer. Be sure to check for NOTAMs before taking off for another airport so you don’t have to cope with an unexpected problem when you arrive.
The number of accidents in the August accident reporting period was not very high, but unfortunately, one of them involved fatalities. The year didn’t get off to a very good start with the number of accident fatalities that we have had, and it doesn't seem to be improving. There are the four reported accidents in this month’s accident summary, and there are also details of two accidents that had occurred in previous months. See my August accident summary for details.
APA is still continuing to work with various airports around the state, providing the pilot and aircraft owner’s perspective in the process of updating their Airport Master Plans. An update of the Sedona Airport (SED) and Grand Canyon Airport (GCN) master plans are still currently in process.
THINGS TO DO - PLACES TO GO FOR BREAKFAST:
- The fly in breakfast at Coolidge Municipal Airport (P08) on the first Saturday of the month has stopped, and will restart the first Saturday in October.
- The second Saturday of the month, Ryan Field (RYN) fly in breakfast is available at the restaurant next door.
- The Falcon Field EAA Warbirds Squadron fly in breakfast and car show on the third Saturday has ceased operation for the summer and will restart next 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.)
- Also on the third Saturday, The monthly fly in to Grapevine Airstrip, next to Roosevelt Lake, has ceased operation for the summer and will resume on the third Saturday of September.
- 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 the online calendar for fun weekend places to fly.
I hope everyone has been able to get some safe flying time in last month. As for me, like many of you, my flying seems to get limited to the weekends, and we sure have been encountering a lot of windy weekends lately. Anyway, it seems like I’ve gained a lot of crosswind landing experience lately. Flying a light taildragger, some of that experience has been a bit challenging and exciting at times, but what the heck, it’s all been fun, exciting or not. However, from a safety standpoint, we have been encountering a lot of accidents lately, and some of them were pretty bad accidents. Please make certain your aircraft is in good operating condition and fly safely!
First off, I want to thank those that made the annual APA meeting in May. It was good to reconnect with some of you once again. Because there were no nominations put forth, the directors whose terms were expiring consented to running for office again and were reelected. The directors will be meeting in June to elect the officers for 2016-17, and the president elect will start the appointment of chairpersons for the various standing committees.
As time grows shorter for when we will be required to have ADS-B out equipment installed in our airplanes, there continues to be new information released regarding both programs and equipment. It’s pretty apparent there won’t be any slippage in the mandated implementation date, but there continues to be new information on equipment and compliance. Initially, there were a lot of questions on required equipment and how each installation would have to be accomplished, inspected, and certified. In what I thought was a major breakthrough by the FAA in making implementation much easier and cheaper for us, the FAA announced a new policy that simplifies ADS-B Out installations.
The FAA released a policy memo (AFS-360-2016-03-02) on March 2 that updates guidance on installation of ADS-B out systems, essentially allowing avionics shops to install ADS-B equipment on aircraft not covered by a supplemental type certificate (STC) and without having to obtain a new STC. The installer does have to obtain permission from the original STC holder. Earlier in the ADS-B upgrade process, the FAA was requiring that each aircraft model have its own STC. The FAA was concerned and wanted to ensure, as new equipment hit the market, that it worked correctly, so the original policy stated that it could only be installed via STC. They believed this would maintain a high level of their involvement and ensure that aircraft entering airspace (where ADS-B is required) are operating as intended and not creating chaos.
Now the FAA has issued the new policy, and it basically states, if the installation is a major alteration, it will still need field approval. This may be the case where a new antenna needs to be installed on a pressurized airplane, for example. A simple ADS-B out installation in a non-pressurized airplane will be a minor alteration and can be signed off by an A&P mechanic holding an Inspection Authorization, or by a Part 145 repair station, and doesn’t require direct FAA involvement. Basically, it’s a simple radio installation. With this change, the much feared bottleneck of getting last minute certified installations accomplished has been averted, and with a significant savings for many of us. (You can read the entire FAA March 2 Memo AFS-360-2016-03-02 here…)
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
The FAA is in the process of publishing a list of perhaps over 300 VORs they plan to decommission across the country. They will evaluate the impact of each VOR on approaches, departures, enroute, etc, and hopefully, they will also look to local users for comment. As soon as we obtain a list of those VORs on the decommissioning list that are in Arizona, we will advise you and the APA will be submitting the appropriate commentary to the FAA.
In a move to ensure that the Third-Class Medical Reform gets through the U.S. legislature, I noticed that it got attached to a defense funding bill that passed through the Senate’s Armed Services Committee. Passing with a 23-3 in favor vote, the bill, which would authorize $602 billion for the Department of Defense and other national security programs, also includes the pilot medical changes in the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2. This action is in addition to the same thing that is attached to the FAA funding bill presently in process. I guess we now have to wait and see what comes out of the House of Representatives and finally goes to the President.
Two new instrument procedures will be published for Cottonwood Airport (P52) on May 26: RNAV (GPS) Runway 32, and MINGY One Departure (RNAV).
One of the changes on the Phoenix Sectional and TAC charts on May 28 will be the deletion of several abandoned airports. What the identifiers were or their locations was not given. Better check to see that your favorite airport is not one of them.
If you fly into Ak Chin Regional Airport (A39), be advised they now have an AWOS in service on 126.90.
Significant construction is going on at Gateway Airport (IWA) and the ILS will be down from time to time. If you are doing instrument training, be sure to check NOTAMS before taking off to check on availability.
Be aware, there is a significant amount of airport construction activity going on many of the airports in the Phoenix and Tucson areas, and 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.
The June accident reporting period was certainly not very good. During this reporting period there were six accidents reported with two of them being fatal, involving three fatalities. Three of the accidents reported this period were devoid of information and it would be safe to assume they were not serious from a personal injury standpoint. See my June accident summary for details, and please make certain the airplane you are flying is airworthy and fly carefully. We don’t want to continue at this present rate.
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 Grand Canyon Airport (GCN) master plans are currently in process.
THINGS TO DO - PLACES TO GO FOR BREAKFAST:
The fly in breakfast at Coolidge Municipal Airport (P08) on the first Saturday of the month has stopped and will restart the first Saturday in October.
The second Saturday of the month, Ryan Field (RYN) fly in breakfast is available at the restaurant next door.
The Falcon Field EAA Warbirds Squadron fly in breakfast and car show on the third Saturday has ceased operation for the summer and will restart in 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 monthly fly in to Grapevine Airstrip, next to Roosevelt Lake, will stop for the summer, but will resume on the third Saturday of September.
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
the online calendar for fun weekend places to fly.
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 firstSaturdayof the month fly in breakfast is at Coolidge Municipal Airport (P08).
·The secondSaturdayof 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 thirdSaturday.
·The thirdSaturdayof 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 2:00pmMondaythruSaturday. 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.