|
United States Pilots Association |
There are two events in January that may be of interest to you. Unfortunately, both are on the same weekend.
On Saturday, 12 January at Desert Aviation FBO at Deming (DMN) NMPA will host a safety seminar. It will be from 10 am until noon and then a free hamburger lunch will be served. The topic will be basic survival skills for pilots. It will cover all aspects of surviving after a plane goes down and will have exhibits of survival equipment which should be on board our airplanes. The presentation will be by Bob Worthington who has extensive survival experience. He was involved in special combat operations in Southeast Asia and was a survival instructor for the CAP in Texas. Please join us for this interesting seminar.
Also on Saturday and Sunday, 12 and 13 January there will be a weekend Instrument ground school in Albuquerque for those pilots preparing to take the FAA Instrument written exam. Here are the details.
The course is being taught by Don Berman, owner of Aviation Ground Schools in Reno, NV. Don is an ATP, CFII, MEI, and Ground School Instructor, both Primary and Advanced. The regular cost of the course and all training materials is $445 but you can take it for $395. For more info go to www.aviationtestprep.com or call Don at 1 866 511 0056. Or go to the NMPA web site at www.nmpilots.org and get the info.
NMPA wishes all of you, Happy Holidays.
Bob Worthington, President
NMPA
The FAA is proposing to chart two low-altitude RNAV routes in the St. Louis area, and is seeking comments by January 14, 2008.
For more information, go to http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-23175.htm
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
United States Pilots Association
I am constantly asked, "Why should I join USPA? I already belong to AOPA or EAA or NBAA etc." Here is one good reason.
Recently USPA was asked to intercede with the FAA who was attempting to close the RNAV/GPS 29 approach to the single runway at M. Graham Clark Airport (PLK) in Branson, Missouri. Since our Executive Director lives in Branson and keeps her Mooney on that airport, and since USPA uses PLK for the airport of choice when we meet in Branson, the request to assist struck a sympathetic chord.
I promptly looked into the matter and determined that once again, economy was about to triumph over safety, at least from the FAA's point of view. A very direct letter was sent to Nicholas Sabbatini, the number two or three person in the FAA, and he forwarded it, along with numerous others to Thomas Accardi, Director of Aviation Standards in Oklahoma City.
A letter has been received from Mr. Accardi stating the following: The cancellation has now been deferred pending implementation of an RNAV approach for PLK.
Did USPA do this by ourselves? No; there was a lot of supporting help. The airport manager at PLK has been in constant discussions with the FAA right along. Users of the airport wrote in to complain as well. I feel that USPA was instrumental in helping PLK keep their existing approaches until new and better are put in. We don't win them all; but they know we are there.
We operate at the grass roots level in General Aviation. I like to think that nobody does it better than we do. Come to one of our fly out meetings. We hold a three hour business meeting and spend the remainder of a four day weekend at a safety meeting, touring places we probably would not ever get to see, shopping, and best of all; just talking airplanes and flying.
As the saying goes, "Try us, and you will like us," and you will learn reams of information about what is going on in General Aviation.
Steve Uslan, President
United States Pilots Association
The USPA Flyout to Denton, TX, earlier this month was very well attended. Everyone had a wonderful time, in spite of getting off to an interesting start when a huge truck accident blocked a major road coming in from DFW. Those who flew commercially, and some locals, were caught up in the delay and diversion, and some missed the Thursday evening safety seminar as a result. But after that, transportation resumed at its usual busy pace.
In addition to conducting important business matters, the time was very full and busy, including tours of the Lockheed Martin military jet production facility (which is unbelievably huge!), a visit with pilots at Carswell Naval Air Station (formerly Carswell AFB), and a visit to the Ft. Worth Super FSS Station.
Any time we have the opportunity to talk with and ask questions of our bright young military pilots is time well spent. I always come away with the feeling that at least some of our tax dollars are well spent. And the frank discussion of FSS ills and hopeful improvements by our tour guide at the Super FSS was very enlightening. Their problems are not easily solved, but they're working on them.
Perhaps the most enjoyable time spent while in Denton was the hangar barbeque put on by the Texas Pilots Association Saturday evening. With their usual warm and welcoming hospitality, the TPA fed us all to the bursting point, and then we heard aviation stories from old friends and made new friends. Don Smith of TPA and his helpers spent endless hours making our gathering the great success that it was. THANK YOU, ALL!
USPA VP for Meetings Arnold Zimmerman is working on the next USPA flyout which will likely be in Little Rock, AR, March 13-16. After that we'll gather in Branson, MO, May 15-18. So put these dates on your calendar now, invite your friends to join you, and look forward to good times with fellow aviators.
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
United States Pilots Association