Well, summer seems to be coming rapidly upon us, and the outdoor fly in breakfasts have come to an end. Now is the time to concentrate on the higher elevation venues along with the usual airports that have a restaurant on them. No matter where we go now, there are always a bunch of bugs to clean off after the flight. Thats just part of the summer season, so no matter, let’s just go flying.
I’m certain I wasn’t the only one that was surprised to hear that Icon Aircraft has filed for bankruptcy. It’s an amazing airplane, and I hope they will be able to find a U.S. buyer, and not wind up having a Chinese company buy it. It’ll be interesting to see how it’ll finally end up.
I was wondering how many of us have an airplane with a mechanical compass that is filled with compass fluid and has a nearby Compass Card that is up to date. Does the card ever have to be updated? Well according to the FAA’s AC 43.13-1B, it says compass calibration should be accomplished anytime the accuracy is suspected to be off by more than 10 degrees, and after any cockpit modification involving ferrous metal, and whenever the compass has been subjected to shock, such as a hard landing or severe turbulence. Also, if the aircraft has passed through a severe electrical storm, or after a lightning strike. (This may have caused ferrous components in the structure to become magnetized.)
Regulation FAR 91.205 specifies the various instruments required for flight under VFR, starting with these three: 1 Airspeed Indicator 2 Altimeter 3 Magnetic direction indicator Most people would interpret “magnetic direction indictor” to mean a compass, but does it? In 1993, Amendment 43 to Part 23 addressed the issue, and described the magnetic direction indictor as a “wet” compass as we know it. In 2012, the wording changed back to “a magnetic direction indicator,” language that remains to this day. Also beginning in 2012, there was an industry push to accept that electronic instruments could deliver levels of accuracy and reliability that mechanical instruments simply could not. In 2015, the FAA released a policy statement (PS-ACE-23-08) acknowledging the superiority of electronically driven indicators, and it’s suspected that it won’t be long before the old wet compass, and all of its issues will be a thing of the past. Many new airplanes are now showing up with only electronic magnetic direction indicators, and no wet compass. So enjoy that new Glass panel!
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
FAA
We’ve been fortunate in that the FAA hasn’t made any major changes to the regulations or airspace we use or hasn’t made proposals for changes. I hope we can continue with the status quo.
Here is hoping that they will be able to stick with their plan to release their MOSIAC plan at the 2025 EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh. That plan will certainly have a significant impact on the older portion of the aviation community, and to a lesser degree the entire flying community.
AIRSPACE
Because of the increasing parachute drop activity (men & equipment), always be sure to check for NOTAMS for this activity along your proposed flight route, and also monitor en-route facility frequencies for parachute activity.
I’m not aware of any serious airspace changes that are happening or are being proposed, but APA will certainly will be watching for anything that may be coming up.
SAFETY
Summer is here, and it won’t be long before we will have the monsoon season with it’s sudden afternoon dust storms. With the hot summer weather please be wary of any dust devils that may pop up. Since 1982 the NTSB has investigated about 170 accidents that involved encounters with dust devils. These small rapidly rotating columns of air are usually made visible by the dust and debris they pick up from the ground. While usually harmless, they can be a serious risk to small aircraft, especially when operating at lower altitudes. Pilots are encouraged to maintain a higher altitude whenever possible to avoid their adverse risks.
In this past reporting period aviation safety has been very bad because of the number of accidents/incidents that have occurred, and unfortunately we did have one fatality that was incurred in one of the accidents. At least in all of the other occurrences nobody got hurt. We certainly hope things will improve as we go forward.
For the details of these accidents/incidents in this past April - May reporting period see my Accident/Incident Summary Report located elsewhere in this newsletter, and please fly safely.
Members, please continue to send accident information to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the date, location, aircraft make, if anyone got hurt, and with as much detail as possible. Thank you.
It was also very fortunate that in this past reporting period the FAA didn’t report any Near Mid Air Collisions (NMAC).
The number of pilot deviations improved a bit this last reporting period. These deviations were committed by pilots with pilot certificates ranging from Student Pilot through ATP, and also a military pilot. Apparently, there were also some out of state pilots that committed some of these deviations. Some of the deviations were serious enough to warrant the issuance of a Brasher notice to the pilot. In many of the cases it was apparent the pilot was unaware of what type of airspace they were flying in or were about to enter, and what was being expected of them. Pilots must listen very carefully to ATC instructions, and follow them, and if they can’t comply, immediately tell the controller why they can’t comply. When flying in controlled airspace, pilots need to be aware that they should never be creative, but must first advise ATC before they do anything that may differ from the instructions given. When on the ground, pay attention to airport signs, and runway markings, and know what they mean, and comply with them.
In summary, the general aviation deviations this reporting period are as follows:
| 8 IFR Deviations | 3 Brashers | |
| 5 Class Delta Airspace Deviations | No Brashers | |
| 1 Class Charlie Airspace Deviation | No Brasher | |
| 7 Runway Incursions | 2 Brashers | |
| 1 Air Traffic Instruction | 1 Brasher | |
| 1 Restricted Air Space | 1 Brasher |
For all the details of these deviations see my Pilot Deviations Report located elsewhere in this newsletter.
CONSTRUCTION
Airports around the state have numerous construction projects in progress, or have projects that will be starting soon. Unfortunately, we don’t have the specific details on all these projects, and we would urge you to always check for NOTAMS at your destination airport so you won’t have an unexpected surprise when you arrive.
APA is working with airports around the state assisting with the updating of their Airport Master Plans by providing the pilot, and aircraft owner’s perspective in the process. This past month we met with the group from Sierra Vista participating in their Master Plan update process. The Airport Master Plan Update process usually requires about a year for completion.
THINGS TO DO - PLACES TO FLY FOR BREAKFAST:
The fly-in breakfast at Coolidge Municipal Airport (P08) was on the first Saturday of the month, but ended in April. They will restart in the fall.
On the second Saturday of the month, consider flying down to Ryan Field (RYN) near Tucson for breakfast or lunch at Ritchie’s Restaurant. They are open daily from 6 am to 2 pm to serve you.
The Falcon Field Warbirds Squadron normally had a fly-in breakfast on the third weekend of the month, but because of the storm damage, and other complications the breakfasts had been halted. Presently it’s undetermined when they will restart in the fall. We will advise when we have new information.
Grapevine is open full time, but the weekend camping, and cookouts have been discontinued for the summer. Grapevine, which lies within a National Forest, is heavily used by the Forest Service for fighting wildfires, and the Military for Special Training.
On the last Saturday of the month a fly-in breakfast is continuing to be put on by the Casa Grande Masonic Lodge in the air-conditioned Terminal of the Casa Grande Airport.
When you fly to any of these venues, be sure to look for the Fly Arizona Passport Placard at the restaurant, and at the airport terminal. Scan the placard with your smart phone to get credit on the passport program for being there.
Check with the APA Getaway Flights program and online calendar for fun weekend places to fly.