Grapevine Preservation CompleteRead more: Grapevine Preservation Complete By Mark Spencer   Saving the Tonto National Forest Grapevine airstrip, once E75, but closed and abandoned for roughly 20 years, could be one of the greatest challenges ever taken on by the Arizona pilot community. It all began in 2011 with some 80 volunteers over 3 days clearing the runway edges of Ironwood, Cat Claw, and Palo Verde
By Jim Timm Read more: November Aviation Accident Summary November 2016   The following are the NTSB reports of aviation accidents that have occurred in Arizona from late September thru late October, 2016. We use this detailed accident information to develop safety programs and briefings to help pilots learn from the mistakes being made by others and hopefully then take the action necessary to prevent similar
By Jim Timm Read more: November 2016 Executive Director's Report November 2016   Now that fall has officially arrived, it seems like summer temps are still trying to hang on for a while. The mornings are now nice and cool, and the flying temperatures in the forenoons are becoming great. The end of October was the Copperstate Fly In, and it was great to see many of you there and be able to chat with you. Although it was
COPPERSTATE 2016 Read more: COPPERSTATE 2016 By Stefanie Spencer    I would like to thank all of the volunteers and attendees that came out to enjoy the Copperstate Fly-In weekend for the first time at Falcon Field in Mesa. The booth was filled almost non-stop with pilots from near and far, with many questions about what we are accomplishing at Grapevine and the other airstrips here in
GAARMS Report: November 2016 Read more: GAARMS Report: November 2016 Fred Gibbs   Read more: GAARMS Report: November 2016 Thankfully there have been no new fatal accidents since the last newsletter, thus there is not much to report. We currently stand at 6 fatal accidents so far, with 9 fatalities, all pilots, including 2 CFII’s. We only have two more months to go, and let’s hope there continues to be nothing to report. So there I
Read more: Simple MistakesSimple Mistakes  Howard Deevers   A recent article from the FAA said that the new “kinder” FAA would not punish pilots for “simple mistakes, inadvertent actions, or other small infractions.”  That got me to thinking:  What exactly are simple mistakes? I’m sure we all make them.  A simple mistake might be knocking over
Read more: Fun evening at the APA Fall Social in Mesa!  Fun evening at the APA Fall Social in Mesa!    By Susan Wearly and Mary James      Thirty pilots and aviation enthusiasts gathered at The Monastery Restaurant in Mesa next to Falcon Field on Thursday, October 13th for the APA’s Fall Social. Plenty of food, drinks and comradery were had by all. The weather was perfect for our outdoor
Pegasus Airpark HopeKids Fly-In  By Nelson Garrison      The Second Annual HopeKids Fly-In was held October 15, 2016, at Pegasus Airpark. There were 23 families from HopeKids, and we were able to give rides to all the families in attendance and to a few other family members. If you haven’t heard of HopeKids, check them out online. Read more: Pegasus Airpark HopeKids Fly-In    
By Jim Timm Read more: October Aviation Accident Summary October 2016 The following are the NTSB reports of the aviation accidents that have occurred in Arizona from late August thru late September, 2016. We will use this detailed accident information to develop safety programs and briefings to help pilots learn from the mistakes being made by others and hopefully take the action necessary to prevent similar
By Jim Timm Read more: October 2016 Executive Director's Report October 2016 It appears that Fall has finally arrived! The mornings are much cooler and the flying temperatures are getting much better. Looking at my calendar, it’s also evident that our flying season is beginning, based on the number of fly in events I see coming up. Let’s go flying, but fly safe! This kind of falls under the heading of