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United States Pilots Association |
The time for our Oklahoma City flyout/meeting is upon us. The hotel is full, but still holding a few rooms in our reserved block, but only until May 31. So please get your registration and hotel reservations made NOW.
If you cannot attend, please email, fax (309 215-6323), or mail a proxy to me (or send with someone attending the meetings) NOW. Since our annual membership meeting will be held on June 16, we would greatly appreciate your proxy in order to have a quorum to conduct business.
A proxy form follows, for both the membership meeting and the board meeting. Please take a minute and send it back to me now. Thanks so much!
A wonderful flyout has been planned for you by VP Meetings Arnold Zimmerman, including a safety seminar, a tour of the FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, the National Cowboy Museum, and our special Saturday evening banquet speaker Dr. Melchor J. Antunano, Director of the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute. Come support your hard-working USPA officers and enjoy an informative and entertaining flyout with your flying friends!
PROXY
The undersigned, being a designated voting member of the Board of Directors or an Individual Member of the United States Pilots Association, and entitled to vote at the Board Meeting or Annual Members Meeting on ________________ , do hereby constitute and appoint _________________________, my true and lawful attorney-in-fact and proxy to attend and represent me at the Meeting, or any continuation or adjournment thereof, with full power to vote and act for me and in my name, place, and stead, in the same manner, to the same extent, and with the same effect that I might were I personally present thereat. Any proxy or proxies heretofore given by me to any person or persons whatsoever are hereby revoked.
In WITNESS WHEREOF, I have executed this Proxy on this ___________ day of ______________, 2006.
Signature
Name Printed
This information from USPA Meetings VP Arnold Zimmerman:
We have been advised by the hotel in Oklahoma City that the hotel is full at the time of our meeting. But, they are still holding rooms in our block. Be sure to mention the group (United States Pilot Association) when you make your reservation. Our contract provides that the rooms in our block will be released to the general public if we do not use them by 5/31/06. It is very likely that they will not extend this period, so it is important for you to make your reservation by May 31st if you have not done so already
Zim
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
United States Pilots Association
May 31 is the deadline to submit written comments to the FAA on its plans to decommission about 270 instrument approaches across the country later this year. This is the second round of cuts to approaches the FAA says are underused or redundant, and the agency reports it is saving nearly $20,000 per year with every approach it disables.
While most of the 217 approaches the FAA eliminated last July were NDB approaches, the new round includes a number of VOR and GPS approaches as well. And some approaches are scheduled to be deactivated as soon as August.
If you have an opinion on any of the specific approaches, mail your comments to the FAA by May 31, referencing the approach by name and location, at National Flight Procedures Group, P. O. Box 25082, Oklahoma City, OK 73125. The complete list of approaches scheduled to be disabled can be found at
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
United States Pilots Association
On April 25, 2006, an unmanned Predator Drone aircraft crashed some 30 miles northwest of Nogales, Arizona. To see the NTSB report, go to April 25 on the NTSB website. If this was not our money drilling a smoking hole in the ground, it would almost be funny. However; as Paul Harvey would say, here is the rest of the story.
These aircraft, which are bigger than a Cessna 182, are flying around the border areas in AZ, NM, and possibly TX. They are flying where you and I fly, in the same airspace. After a conversation with a representative of the New Mexico Pilots Association, I have been told that supposedly these UAVs fly on an instrument flight plan, and there are supposed to be notams out when they are operating. Unfortunately the NMPA representative has determined that rarely are notams issued. And even worse, flight service and center have no knowledge of these activities going on. A contact in the FAA told me these aircraft are supposed to be lit at night with recognition lights, and are required to carry registration numbers (the aircraft in question was not lit and carried no numbers). When the actual emergency was detected (a simple computer glitch on the ground), nobody notified the FAA of a pilotless aircraft going down.
My concern is, what provisions have been made to avoid the inevitable collision between the UAV and a VFR aircraft, legally flying without a flight plan, and not talking to Center? This is not an issue of patriotism. The drone was carrying a camera, obviously looking for illegal border crossings. The camera operator was a Border Patrol Officer (he of the dreaded Homeland Security Agency).
Read the NTSB report, which upon conclusion states this was an incident. The identifier is CH106MA121. After laughing at the absurdity of the cause of this "incident," imagine if this UAV, out of control, entered your airspace, and what your reaction would be.
Steve Uslan, President
United States Pilots Association
May 31 is the cutoff date to obtain the special USPA rate at the Clarion Meridian Hotel in Oklahoma City for our USPA Spring Flyout to be held June 15-18. So make your reservations now while you’re thinking of it!
With so many interesting things to see and do in OKC, you may want to come early and/or stay late. On that list is Bricktown—an early-day warehouse district transformed into the fastest growing entertainment district in the southwest, including a mile-long riverwalk. We will also be touring the National Cowboy Museum and the FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center. Plus we have a very special Saturday night banquet guest speaker—the Director of the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, Dr. Melchor J. Antunano.
Fly into Wiley Post (PWA) or come commercially into Will Rogers (OKC). And while you’re at it, reserve a rental car for yourself or to use with others.
Registrations can be printed from the attached file and mailed in, or placed directly from our website at www.uspilots.org.
We look forward to seeing you in OKC!
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
United States Pilots Association
USPA has been awarded a grant from the Alfred L. and Constance Wolf Aviation Fund for the purpose of advertising and promoting our safety seminars during 2006. With this financial assistance, USPA will be able to more widely promote our upcoming safety seminars in Oklahoma City, Branson, and San Antonio, as well as provide attendance prizes and refreshments.
With highly qualified and skilled aviation safety presenters, USPA works in conjunction with the FAA to conduct a safety seminar at each flyin/meeting held quarterly each year at locations throughout the United States. With aviation safety as a key focus of USPA’s efforts, we look forward to having an even greater impact as a result of our efforts this year with this additional financial assistance.
The Wolf Fund has been providing grants for aviation projects for many years. For more information, and to submit a grant request, go to www.wolf-aviation.org/
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
United States Pilots Association
Your USPA Executive Director has been serving on MoDOT’s Planning Advisory Team to update the state’s Airport System Plan which has now been finalized, and MoDOT has sent me several copies of the newly-published booklets highlighting the major benefits of aviation in Missouri, airport by airport. Missouri’s aviation system contributes more than 149,000 jobs and $9.5 billion in economic activity to the state’s economy. The report demonstrates Missouri’s aviation system is an integral component of the state’s total transportation system, contributing substantially to the states economic vitality.
I have a number of copies of the brochure and will be happy to send you one if you would find it useful. I originally saw a similar report compiled by New Mexico several years ago, and am happy to have contributed in a small way to this report for Missouri.
You may email me at jan@uspilots.org, or request a copy directly from MoDOT at aviation@modot.mo.gov.
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
United States Pilots Association
To make the USPA website more valuable to our members, we will be including a new section titled as above for the purpose of sharing information concerning good experiences we have had with GA product and service suppliers. This is not for the purpose of complaining, but for praising.
If you have done business with a supplier who has treated you fairly and competitively, and you would like to recommend him to others, please forward the name, address, and website address to our Webmaster JC Zalog through the link on our website at www.uspilots.org. Sharing this information is a win-win for both our fellow members and the good GA businesses who deserve good word of mouth.
I hope you will participate by providing the information and also by checking it out when you have need to make a purchase.
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
United States Pilots Association
I promised you readers a progress report on the resurrection of this 1978 Cessna Hawk XP II I purchased in December of last year. You will recall that after inspection of the airframe prior to painting we found numerous discrepancies involving the poor repairs of much of the fairings and external plastic pieces, all of which have been replaced prior to painting. The plane has been flown a total of 45 hours since purchase, including a round trip from Odessa, TX, to Tunica, MS. It flies just great with no criticisms of its stability etc.
Although manufactured in late 1977, it is a true XP II by virtue of the fact that its IO-360 Continental engine was overhauled to the dash KB specs. The engine was inspected and all was found to be in order with no oil leaks or any mechanical anomalies. It puts out 195HP at takeoff and climbs out like no other Cessna can. The power-to-weight ratio must be stupendous. Using first detent of flaps, the airplane literally leaps off the ground after a very short take-off run. There is an STC (Isham) that essentially changes the prop governor, creating 210HP on take-off. The kit, which can be installed by almost any mechanic, retails for $1,995 using the existing mechanical tachometer in the airplane. For a few dollars more they will sell you a digital tach claimed to be far more accurate. Continental has stated that changing the governor and the resultant increase in RPM does not adversely affect the engine or TBO (2000 hrs). I have elected to retain the original governor and the 195HP even though the extra 15 HP turns this plane into a STOL bird.
Here is what has been done to the bird since the purchase and paint. The first item was to take the interior plastic trim out of the airplane and paint it to original color. It had faded to a mustard yellow in spots and looked awful. While taking these pieces out we found aging cracks and some broken parts. These were all repaired to better than new, and painted and reinstalled. The instrument panel covers (two) were the same mustard shade of cream and were removed and painted flat black. The headliner in this aircraft comes in two solid pieces of plastic, and these were removed and repainted as well. All of the eyebrow lights were tested, and the inoperable bulbs changed or replaced/repaired. The plane came with two Cessna radios, part of the originally furnished "Navpac." One radio was a 720 channel and the other a 360 channel. A standard Cessna audio panel had a multitude of problems, and it was decided to replace all three.
Since I am essentially a VFR pilot, I chose not to invest in a Garmin 430 or 530 unit. There is, for me, too much information coming at you, and I have found myself burying my head in the instrument panel instead of using my Mark VIII eyeballs outside the plane. I elected to install a King KN62 DME and a Garmin 150XL GPS (VFR only). I already owned the DME and bought the Garmin on E-Bay, including the rack and connectors, for $500. I subsequently invested in a new database for $180. Both units work as advertised. Now as for the radios themselves, the original units were a dirty cream color and almost non-functional. An MX300 was purchased on E-Bay for $425 and sent to TKM for inspection, etc. This radio slides in to the original Cessna 300 tray and powers the VOR indicator. I owned a TKM MX1700 radio, removed from my former Bellanca Viking, and bought a tray and connectors on E-Bay for $60. I then bought a King Glide Slope receiver, indicator, and antenna with all of the connectors for $415. Finally, I purchased a King KMA-24 TSO'd audio panel for $275 on E-Bay. It came with the tray and necessary harness. All of the new radios are black in color and, of course, the two navcoms are both digital with frequency storage capability. These four items are being installed as I write this by West Texas Aero in Odessa, TX. When installed and functioning, I will have, GPS, VOR, ADF, ILS, with backup DME capability for an initial investment of about $2,500 including installation. The interior plastic and paint work cost less than $300. The panel is as modern as any I have seen, excepting the glass cockpits.
The actual upholstery was and is almost as it came from the factory, and it is original. I would have installed grey leather, but the existing covers are in excellent condition. All of the side panels are equally pristine. I did remove the carpet and sent it to an auto detail shop. It looks today as though it just came from the factory. There is no crazing on the glass. There is no indication of any corrosion anywhere on the plane. The tires are all brand new. The brakes were replaced at annual.
Decals were purchased from Julie's Aircraft Sales, the Cessna dealer in El Paso, TX. When Julie's could not get black colors for the model of the airplane, I turned to E-Bay (where else?) and bought the color I wanted for the wingtips etc. Finishing off the project, stainless steel screws replaced all of the aging hardware and new camlocs (corrosion proofed) were installed on the cowling.
The end result is an airplane with better performance than the new 172s produced by Cessna, equipped with modern avionics, a drop dead gorgeous paint scheme, that flies as well or better than many others I have had the privilege to pilot. I know that when the 100 degree days come to West Texas, this is the airplane I want to be in when the density altitude approaches 8000 feet.
Next month I will publish the actual end result, including the panel and interior.
Steve Uslan, President