The breakfast fights on Saturday morning have generally been pretty good. The temperatures have been reasonable, but things are heating up. This is a reminder that summer is rapidly approaching, and I’m still the last one home at about 11:00 am.
Mesa Falcon Field has implemented their new fee schedule, and the landing fee part of the new schedule is on a temporary extension of time until an agreement can be implemented with the provider. As was expected formal complaints have been filed with the FAA, and it appears that there will be a lawsuit filed against the airport and the city over the whole mess. There is still a concern within the APA that this same issue could also come up at other airports in the state.
We are still waiting for action on a bill before our legislators in Washington to suppress the commercial use of the ADS-B information that’s being transmitted. A member of the Arizona Safety Advisory Group who is well connected with members of our State Legislature has also taken action to have a bill presented and heard in the Arizona Legislature, HB2210, that would prevent the commercial use of this ADS-B information that’s being transmitted in AZ. This is really a safety issue, but the Arizona Airport Association is opposing this bill because they think that they may still want to use this ADS-B information for generating income for the airports. We are still waiting for a final vote in the Senate before it is sent to the Governor for signature.
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
FAA
We haven’t heard of anything from the FAA that would impact your flying activity but be assured that APA will always be on the alert for any rule changes that could impact your flying and inform you immediately.
AIRSPACE
Based on what we have heard at aviation meetings that we have attended, there is and will continue to be a lot of parachute activity happening around the central part of the state. We have also been advised that some of this activity could also be occurring during the nighttime hours. Because of this, we should avoid flying near any airport with known parachute activity and always be vigilant for parachutists. The parachute icon on the chart is a warning that there might be parachutists in the area. Remember, this parachute activity may consist of experienced foreign parachutists that are here to learn and practice new tactical procedures. Some of this jumping could also be high altitude jumping being initiated at Flight Levels, with parachutists descending through airspace far removed from the final landing site. If you can determine the surface wind direction, the safest place will be downwind of their Drop Zone. Always check NOTAMS for parachute activity on your route of flight, and if possible, use Flight Following for your proposed flight to receive flight advisories, and if possible, monitor en-route facility frequencies for parachute activity.
SAFETY
Brian Mehrtens at the FAA SDL FSDO is providing us with the FAA input for the Accident/Incident and NMAC reports and also is providing all the information for the Pilot Deviation reports. We do appreciate his efforts.
The Accident numbers are up, and fortunately we didn’t have any fatalities reported. For details of these accidents see my Accident Report located elsewhere in the newsletter.
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.
With regard to Pilot Deviations, there were nineteen deviations reported, and there were 5 Brashers issued. These deviations were committed by pilots with certificates ranging from Private Pilot through ATP. There were six out of state pilots, two Military, and two foreign pilots of the nineteen deviations. Pilots need to be more careful in their flying and carefully listen to ATC instructions. Pilots must always be aware of what type of airspace they are flying in, or may be about to enter, and know what will be expected of them.
In summary, the general aviation deviations this reporting period are:
- 2 IFR Deviations; No Brashers
- 2 Phoenix Class Bravo Airspace Deviations;
- No Brashers
- 5 Class Delta Airspace Deviations; 3 Brashers
- 1 Altitude Deviation; No Brasher
- 5 ATC Instructions; 1 Brasher
- 2 Runway Incursions; 1 Brasher
- 1 Restricted Airspace Incursion; No Brasher
- 1 TFR Incursion; No Brasher
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 during the cooler part of the year, and the next one is scheduled to be in October.
On the second Saturday of the month consider flying down to Ryan Field (RYN) west of Tucson for breakfast or lunch at Ritchie’s Restaurant. They are open daily from 6 am to 2 pm to serve you.
Grapevine is open full time, and generally on the third Saturday weekend camping and cookouts were planned. The weekend camping and cookouts are planned during the cooler months of October through April. They have ceased for the summer and will restart in October. Remember, Grapevine, which lies within a National Forest, is heavily used by the Forest Service for fighting wildfires and the Military for Special Training, so be sure to check the APA Facebook page for any updates on military activity at 88AZ.
There is a fly-in breakfast on the last Saturday of the month at the Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ). The new “Sky High” Cafe is open from Thursday thru Friday from 9 am-12 pm, and Saturday thru Monday from 8 am-12 pm with a limited menu. However, the Casa Grande Masonic Lodge will continue to be serving a breakfast in the air-conditioned terminal from 7 to 11 am on the last Saturday of the month.
When you fly to any of these venues, be sure to look for the Fly Arizona Passport Placard at the restaurant and also at the airport terminal. If you haven’t, scan the placard with your smart phone to get credit on the passport program for being there.