Well, fall weather has finally arrived. The days are noticeably shorter, but fortunately, the daytime temperatures have finally become very comfortable for flying. We need to get out there and enjoy it! I’ll look forward to seeing you at the airport or at the Saturday morning fly-in breakfasts.
While taking a break over a morning cup of coffee, there was some discussion over the elimination of 100LL fuel, and what the impact this might have on our engines, and also the potential increase in cost of the new fuel. Apparently, the goal is to have the transition to lead free aviation fuel occur by 2030. It appears Reid-Hillview and San Martin airports in California are trying to jump the gun and have prohibited the sale of 100LL fuel as of January 1 of this year. This action put them in noncompliance with the requirements of the FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds they have received, which amounts to millions of dollars. Because of this unavailability of fuel, the impacted pilots and aviation businesses have thus filed a formal complaint with the FAA. There are a couple of fuel companies that have made significant progress in finding a suitable replacement for 100LL, and apparently engine manufacturers are also addressing the problem. So, here is hoping they will come up with a solution that will be cost effective, and it appears that there is some optimism that we will have a fuel suitable for use in the larger, high compression, high performance, engines by the deadline. I only hope we will be able to afford it, whatever it is.
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
FAA
Apparently, the FAA has continued to receive field reports of cracked cylinders, in-spite of compliance with AD 2020-16-11. Obviously, the FAA is concerned that the corrective action in the Airworthiness Directive (AD) is not sufficiently resolving the problem. Therefore, the FAA needs additional input from the field to better understand the problem and determine if additional action is going to be needed at this time. To better understand the problem, the link to the Worthiness Concern Sheet is:
https://www.faasafety.gov/files/notices/2022/Oct/FAA_ACS_Continental_Cylinder_Cracking.pdf
The FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) 2022-20 on the wing of the Piper PA-28 and PA-32 aircraft in the wake of an in-flight wing separation of a PA-28R-201. The accident was found to be caused by fatigue cracks in the wing lower spar cap. The interim AD, among other actions, called for a one-time inspection of certain lower spar cap bolt holes to help determine the number of cracked holes present in the fleet. Concerned with the possibility of additional in-flight wing separations, the FAA is working toward finding a final AD action to address this safety issue. The FAA is seeking input from the pilot community to find an inspection process that will help to determine further action.
SAFETY
As you can see from our Aircraft Accident Reports, gear-up landings and gear collapses can happen to pilots regardless of experience or certification levels. They are often caused by distractions that lead to forgetting to lower the gear before landing, or mistakenly selecting the gear up switch instead of the flaps up switch while on the ground. So how can we combat these self-induced problems that lead to one of the more expensive insurance claims? Safety teams are working on forums and other possible means to help you to avoid one of these gear up or gear collapse situations. In the meantime, try not to allow yourself to become distracted. The landing process is one of the high stress times in flying. Keep on high alert, try to avoid distractions, and fly safely.
In this past reporting period, aviation safety has not been very good, based not only on the number of accidents that had occurred, but also on the fact that we did have an accident that resulted in a fatality, and we also had some injuries that could very easily have resulted in fatalities. For a detailed report of all the accidents and incidents that have occurred, see my Accident & Incident Summary report located elsewhere in this newsletter.
Members, please do 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, and type, if anyone got hurt, and with as much detail as possible. Thank You.
The number of pilot deviations have gone up a significant amount this past reporting period. I don’t know of a reason why this may have occurred; other than perhaps the slightly cooler weather has encouraged more of the marginal pilots to go flying and commit airspace deviations. Whatever the reason, pilot deviations have gone up last month. Pilots must always know what type of airspace they are flying in, or are about to enter, and understand what ATC will expect from them. When flying in controlled airspace, don’t try to be creative and do something without first talking to ATC. Lastly, pilots need to pick up an Airman’s Information Manual (AIM), and brush up on the “high points”. Don’t commit a pilot deviation.
The summary of the general aviation deviations committed this reporting period are as follows:
| Five IFR Deviations | 3 Brashers |
| Five Class Delta Airspace Deviations | 4 Brashers |
| One Movement Area Deviation | None |
| Five Air Traffic Control Instructions | None |
| Five Runway Incursions | 1 Brasher |
For the details, see my Pilot Deviations Report elsewhere in this newsletter.
CONSTRUCTION
In spite of the cooler weather, many airports around the state have repair/construction projects under way; however, we don’t have the latest status on all these projects, so always check for NOTAMs at your destination airport to determine what may be happening. Always be cautious and always fly informed.
Chandler still has ramp paving projects in process, so get NOTAMS, and use caution in taxiing.
APA works 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.
THINGS TO DO - PLACES TO FLY FOR BREAKFAST:
The fly-in breakfast at Coolidge Municipal Airport (P08) is on the first Saturday of the month.
On the second Saturday, consider flying down to Ryan Field (RYN) near Tucson for breakfast or lunch at Ritchie’s Restaurant. They are open from 6 am to 2 pm to serve you.
The Falcon Field Warbirds Squadron fly-in breakfast is on the third weekend of the month.
Grapevine is open full time, but the third Saturday of each month is a special time for a group camp dinner on Saturday evening. Come and camp for the weekend! The camp host will prepare the main course, and campers, please bring a side dish or dessert to share. 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. Apparently, the upgrading of the lunch area has yet to meet inspection requirements. Hopefully it won’t be too long before it can come online.
Check with the APA Getaway Flights program and online calendar for fun weekend places to fly.