---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cascade Flyer August 13, 2002 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTICE This e-mail is a text only version of the CO-OPA newsletter. If you would like to view the Cascade Flyer with graphics and links, using your Adobe Acrobat Reader, use this link to download the newsletter: http://co-opa.rellim.com/newsletters/AugCOOPA2002.pdf If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader you can get it here: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= IN THIS ISSUE August Meeting Guest Speaker City - Pilot Meeting July Fly-Out Hangar Flying My First Fly-Out August Fly-Out Fly Friendly RVR Now Available Check this Out =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= AUGUST MEETING This months meeting will be on Thursday, August 15th, 6:00pm at the Bend Airport (S07) in the Flight Services building (The Flight Shop). Guest Speaker by Clay Trenz This month our guest speaker will be Andy Lindsey, providing an update on airport issues. Andy welcomes any concerns regarding the airport and can be contacted either by phone or e-mail. He may be reached by phone, 317-3009, or via e-mail, ALindsey@ci.bend.or.us. We will also be examining and discussing different GPS portable ³handheld² units. If you have such a unit you are encouraged to bring it to the meeting to demonstrate and/or share your experience. CITY - PILOT MEETING HELD by Julie Nixon Airport Maintenance and Aircraft Noise Top Issues An emergency meeting was called by Andy Lindsey, Management Assistant, Public Works Dept. for the City of Bend , at the Flight Shop to address complaints regarding aircraft noise, but issues surrounding airport maintenance and the newly created Airport Manager position became important points of interest for participants. Vern Bartley, AirLife Director, and Lancairıs Mike Schrader both expressed concerns regarding airport maintenance and improvements. According to Mr. Schrader, weeds growing on the runway as well as other vital improvements have not been addressed as promised by the City of Bend. Mr. Bartley also expressed frustration with the lack of communication from the City of Bend regarding needed improvements and strategies for airport development. When asked when the Bend Airport would see the runway addition, Mr. Lindsey explained that the new runway was pushed until 2005 while the city waits for the completion of environmental impact studies. Mr. Lindsey also indicated that the city was trying to locate the funds for the project. Bendıs City Manager, David Hales confirmed that improvements were needed and acknowledged that an Airport Manager would be hired by the end of Fall to help address these important airport management issues. Although the city will consider local residents for the Airport Manager position, they are going to post the job opening nationally to try to find the best candidate for the job. Several people at the meeting agreed that the ideal candidate should have business experience, be knowledgeable about how to apply for and receive critical government grants available for airport improvement projects and be familiar with aviation-related agencies and groups. Many felt it is preferable that the new Airport Manager also be a pilot and a part of the Bend community. City representatives suggested that the future Airport Manager would oversee issues such as the runway addition, airport maintenance, and secure funding through public and private sources. The city is currently waiting for a response from the Oregon Department of Aviation to finalize the job description for the Airport Manager position. Until then, the Bend Airport will have to wait for the position to be filled. Representatives of businesses located at the airport expressed concerns about further delays in finding resolutions to the various maintenance and improvement issues. Although critical maintenance issues and the Airport Manager position were top issues to many in attendance, the meeting was originally called by Mr. Lindsey to address concerns from a local resident regarding student flights over the Alfalfa area. Andy Andrews, the only Alfalfa resident present at the impromptu meeting, expressed his frustration with planes orbiting his property. According to Mr. Andrews, several of his Alfalfa neighbors have been contacting him with complaints about flights over their homes. Mr. Andrews, representing the homeowners of the Alfalfa area, explained that he didnıt have a problem with flights passing over his 80 acre ranch but was frustrated by planes circling over his land. It appears that the flights in question involve student practice sessions since the planes are not transiting the area. Mr. Andrews questioned why flight instructors and students donıt fly to the south to conduct their practice sessions. One flight instructor shared safety concerns about student flights migrating to the south of the airport. The area south of Highway 20 has rocks and junipers and presents no safe place for students to land should an engine failure occur. Although no immediate resolution was arrived at during the 45 minute meeting, representatives from the CO-OPA, airport businesses, flight instructors and area residents who were in attendance had a better understanding of the problems involving airplane noise and student safety. Please read related article ³Fly Friendly², in this issue. Approximately twelve individuals attended the emergency meeting including Dale Evans (OPA President), Gary Miller (CO-OPA Secretary/Treasure), Jack Stewart (The Flight Shop), Nancy Lectlighter (CO-OPA President) and Jack Kohler (CO-OPA Newsletter Editor). JULY FLY-OUT TO PROSPECT by Don Wilfong Some people left on Saturday and flew down through very thick smoke and camped overnight. Steve Wright and his wife Bobbie flew their Cessna 175 (180 hp Lycoming with a constant speed prop) and Alan Valenti and his wife Kathy in their Cardinal flew down and both couples spent the night. I donıt know who else went down. I understand there were quite a number of fun things happened on Saturday including a very good barbeque on Saturday evening. Sunday morning found Gary Miller, his son Daniel, new member Bob Nash and Kimmy (the co-pilot dog) in Garyıs Turbo Centurian, Jack Kohler and his wife Ruth in a 180 hp Cessna 172 and my wife Norma, Ken Haffner and I in our Skylane all left the Flight Shop at about 07:00 hrs. We talked to Mike Brownlie in his Mooney on the way down (he landed a short while before we got there) He had his brother-in-law Terry Johnson with him. It was a nice flight but it really got quite smokey once we reached Diamond Lake area. When we got over the field we had to circle for a while as there were 5 ultra-lites and 2 or 3 planes on the runway that took a while to get cleared off. The people running the operation were great and provided transportation to a well organized breakfast where we ate our fill and then they transported us back to the airport with a stop at the Prospect Hotel for a photo shoot. We fooled around the airport for a while and then headed on toward home. A lot of the smoke had cleared away from around the airport area but when Gary flew over Crater Lake he couldnıt see much. Mike and Gary both landed at Crescent Lake Junction Airport just to check it out on the way home. We had a great time and again the only thing missing was you!!! Don Wilfong dwnw@bendnet.com HANGAR FLYING by Joel Premselaar I ran into a dandy anecdote Iıll share with you. I donıt know who came up with it but itıs great. It goes like this; ³You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.² Although it applies to life in general, itıs pertinence to aviation is profound. Since we donıt want to exhaust our bag of luck - - ever - - we should strive to add to our bag of experience the easy way; i.e., shared experience. Pride goeth before a fall; the fall doesnıt hurt but, in our case, the sudden stop at the end really smarts! Letıs devote one of our meeting programs to ³True Confessions² (no I donıt mean the kind found in a certain magazine). I mean the kind that can be described in one word; WHOOPS! Iıll start with a few that extracted some ³lucks² out of my bag. In the thirties, with about forty hours under my belt I became disoriented; in case you didnıt already know it, thatıs a euphemism for LOST. Salvation; over the nose I spotted a couple of men walking their dogs in an open field. I took the Aeronca C-3 down to telephone pole height and as I reached them I throttled back to idle and shouted, ³Whereıs Flushing Airport?² Pointing, they yelled back, ³That way.² They had no problem hearing my thanks for silence prevailed. One tidbit of luck fell out of my bag as I plunked down on that field. I borrowed a nickel (yes thatıs all it took for a phone call in those days) and called my instructor. Knowing him, I held the earpiece at armıs length as he reacquainted me with the elements of carburetor icing. The 37 H.P., one plug per cylinder, three-cylinder engine had a well-earned reputation for carb icing. After many months of flying west from the ship to reach Asian land, we were rotated back to the States. Two days out from California, my wingman and I launched from the ship in less than desirable weather for San Diego. Emulating Pavlovıs dog, I turned west to the exact reciprocal course for home. It took only two minutes for my wingman to pipe up, ³Er, Joel, my compass must be screwed up. It says 287. Give me the actual and Iıll crank it into my D.G.² Ah, such is the faith a wingman puts in his intrepid leader. Need I say more than, ³Oops, (a euphemism) there goes still another dollop of luck from my bag. Coming off the ³B² Range, NAF China Lake, I approached the break at 200 knots for a typical 360 to a landing. I deployed the speed brakes and laid on about three ³Gs² to kill speed. I guess that in my mind, deploying the speed brakes equated to lowering the gear. In the final segment of the turn, my headset squawked, ³851, your speed breaks are out!² I sucked in the speed breaks with a ³Roger.² This did not cancel my impression that the gear was down. Just about the time I was rolling out of the turn, the controllerıs transmission, terse and in a tone that was almost too casual for the occasion came to me, ³Now put your gear down.² What amazes me is how my left hand managed to be in two places simultaneously, the throttle in preparation for a wave-off and the landing gear lever. The fast acting gear snapped into place almost as the gear lever bottomed out, or so it seemed. In less time than it takes to say it, I landed. The old saw, ³There are those who have ^ʲ flashed in my mind and I took credit for being a ³have² even though I hadnıt. I paid the penalty of humility and, to add insult to injury, it cost me the price of a bottle of the best scotch - - the tower operatorıs reward. Another piece of luck disappeared from my bag! I have several more boo boos, but Iıll hold those in reserve. Now itıs your turn. The following may cause me to exceed my self imposed word count, but itıs a handy dandy - - useful too. WHO NEEDS A CALENDAR? Upon what day does 27 September 2002 fall? How would you like to answer that question immediately without referring to a calendar? It can be done with a simple arithmetical trick. Taken step-by-step, itıs easy. To accomplish this dazzling feat, you have but to remember 12 digits. Step 1. Allocate the following numbers for each day of the week: 0 for Sunday, 1 for Monday, and so on through 6 for Saturday. Step 2. For each month of the year 2002, determine the day upon which the 7th falls. Assign that month the number allocated for the day as described in Step 1. Consult your 2002 calendar; note that 7 January 2002 falls on a Monday; therefore the number assigned to January is 1. The 7th of February falls on a Thursday; therefore, February is represented by 4 and so on for the rest of the months of the year. The result of this operation is: 144 ­ 025 ­ 036 - 146. Note that they are listed in groups of 3. Each group represents a quarter of the year. This association will aid in memorizing the groups. Step 2 must be done every year, so be prepared to compute and memorize a new set of numbers. Step 3. To obtain the day upon which a date occurs, add the number assigned to the month in question to the date and remove all multiples of 7. The remainder will be that of the day assigned in Step 1. Follow this example: Upon what day does 27 September 2002 fall? Add the number assigned to September (6, as determined in Step 2) to the date, 27. The result is 33. Remove all multiples of 7 from 33; i.e., subtract 28 from 33. The remainder is 5. The number 5, as you will recall from Step 1, represents Friday. Check the 2002 calendar and you will find that 27 September is indeed a Friday. Practice with a few more dates, and then discard your calendar for the year 2002. MY FIRST FLY-OUT AS PIC by Jack Kohler Going on fly-outs is one of the fun parts of being involved with the Central Oregon - Oregon Pilots Association. A few members tend to participate regularly and have offered empty seats for those of us that would like to tag along and share in the experience. Although, from time to time, my desire to participate goes beyond being a passenger and we donıt own a plane! There lies the rub, we need to rent an aircraft and I hope thereıs one available for the weekend of the fly-out. So, I check out my local FBO to see if there is an available airplane and, YES, there is! Now, I have no idea how long to reserve the airplane so I opt for the better part of the day on the assumption If I get back early thatıs better than late. Two weeks prior to the flight, I have committed both mentally and financially to reserve a 180HP Skyhawk 172SP and prepare myself for the actual trip. Now what? I know, Iıll call Don Wilfong, the Fly-Out guru, and get the low down on what to expect and how to prepare. All Iıll say here is, ³Don is the Man², he pretty much covered the entire trip and what to expect. With this information and having a pretty good idea of what to expect, I broke out the Skyhawk POH and started reading. During the evenings I tried running several scenarios including density altitude problems, fuel management stragety, emergency procedures the list went on. I was hoping to cover the information and minimize any surprises during the flight. Next I had my sectional all marked up with course headings, check points, frequencies, VOR radials and altitude notes along my proposed flight path. Hoping to have the information in front of me if I needed it. Then I wanted to read the a little about the avionics available to me in this aircraft so I started reviewing the avionics manuals like the new Bendix/King KLN 94GPS Navigation System. After reviewing the index of the GPS manual I decided to focus on just the ³Direct To² feature and the moving map (I think thatıs cool) for this trip. I wonıt have enough time to learn much more than that before the Fly-out which is now less than a week away. Three days before the trip I wanted to get a little more familiar with the airplane so I rented the Skyhawk to do a little pattern work (touch and goıs) and verify my new found knowledge using the GPS system. Wow! GPS, what a great tool to have in your VFR arsenal. To this point I have been mostly focusing on the airplane and flight plan but now I need to know the more about the weather and possible wildfire patterns. I have been concerned regarding the wildfires around the State and if they might pose problems for the upcoming fly-out. I started going on line with AOPAıs Flight Planner to monitor any new NOTAMıs, TFRıs and weather changes that could/would affect the flight. I print out the reports and review the weather information, plot any flight restriction areas on my sectional and study how they may affect my proposed flight plan. I continued to run Low Altitude Route Weather Briefing reports right up to departure morning. The last report indicated we should have good VFR conditions and light smoke through early afternoon with no restrictions in the area of Prospect, the weather, temperature and winds aloft look favorable. The morning finally arrives, being excited, I wanted to get to the airport and preflight the plane prior to everyone arriving at 7:00 a.m. Going to be ready before anyone arrived was just wishful thinking. As I finished my preflight folks were migrating to the Flight Shop for a departure briefing and head count. The passenger arrangements, weather, fire conditions and a possible alternate destination of Chiloquin (2S7) was discussed. The idea of heading to an alternate destination was actually appealing to me since I havenıt been to Chiloquin either (a possible combat condition GPS ³Direct to² change, cool). It turns out three planes with eight persons will depart from Bend and head for Prospect. Weıll keep in touch during the flight using 122.75 air to air communications. This will be a first for me as well. Since Ruth and I are flying the slowest of the three planes we were given the honor to depart first. After take-off, we depart VFR to the South, load in the Prospect location identifier into the GPS, check my com radios, scan my instruments, Iım ready. I climbed to eighty five hundred feet and that put me just above the smoke haze into clear air. After about ten minutes I hear, ³six mike echo, seven five seven, are you on the frequency?². Wow, this is great! Weıre off to the races, giving reports on our location, landmarks, distance, altitude, ground speed and other helpful information. The flight was smooth and scenic although the smoke haze did limit visibility. As I approached Mt. Theilsen I was able to get a visual on Donıs 182 Skylane about two miles off my left wing, he finally caught up and was passing us. At this point Gary Miller was still catching up as he needed to fuel up prior to take-off, he would actually arrive before I did. Close to Crater Lake, I heard Mike Brownlee, in his Moonie saying he was doing a little sight seeing around the lake and would wait for us in Prospect. Now there were four aircraft on the flyout. I believe he departed from Redmond a little before we departed Bend. Ten miles out, I started to descend to Prospect TPA, Ruth and I noticed very distinct pockets of smoke that were lingering in the valleys. Although not a factor in our approach to Prospect I couldnıt help but wonder if this was going to get more intense on our return trip and we even questioned each other as to whether or not to divert and go to Chiloquin. Our intention was to stay long enough for breakfast and then depart for home, possibly no more than an hour and a half. This was agreed and we proceeded to Prospect. Well the part of the trip that surprised me the most was... When we arrived, I was the second plane of our group, there were several ultra-lights and planes on the runway. This place was busy! Here all this time I thinking Iım going on my first fly-out when in fact Iım also going to my first Fly-In! Wow, I had no idea, a double bonus! I heard Don on 122.8, Prospect traffic frequency, advise that there were planes orbiting the airport waiting to land. While we were orbiting the airport additional traffic was reporting their intentions to land at Prospect and gave their positions. They were notified of the traffic backup and recommended to delay before entering the pattern for landing. The folks on the runway reported they were in the process of clearing the runway for the aircraft intending to land. I was concerned as additional aircraft approached and entered the pattern since I was unfamiliar with this airport and it was getting busy. When the runway was cleared we started bringing the planes in although it was not just one after the other. Once you landed it was very possible for the need to back taxi inorder to clear the runway for tie-down. As I approached runway 20 on final I watched the traffic on the ground and decided not to crowd the situation and opted to ³go-around² for better spacing interval. Although the pattern was getting crowded everyone was reporting their positions. As I climbed back into the pattern, I could see several planes being lined up along the edge of the runway due to the limited ramp space. I turned on final and opted to stay a little high, in case of another ³go-around² and slipped to the runway. I landed long and taxied to the end of the runway and held as other traffic landed. I notified Prospect traffic my intention to back taxi and cleared the runway as soon as I saw a space along the runway to tie down. As I cleared the runway onto the ³grass², at least it looked like it used to be grass, I think they should have watered it down a little for controlling the dust. Thatıs another story! Now that weıre landed, parked and secured it was off to breakfast. Our hosts provided us with shuttle service to and from the pancake breakfast and informed us that they just broke their last years fly-in total planes by four, a total of sixty-four. Just the number of planes from our group. Had we decided to defer to Chiloquin they would have fallen short of beating their last years total. I was glad to be with the group that put them over the top. We had a great experience and the Prospect Unit, Search and Rescue folks were wonderful. The fact I attended my first Fly-In was especially gratifying knowing I was able handle the unexpected. The flight home, after climbing above the smoke was delightful, although the visibility was limited sightseeing was still awesome. In fact this monthıs banner photo was taken as Ruth and I passed Mt. Thielsen on the way home. All in all, my first Fly-out was everything I could have hoped for. AUGUST FLY-OUT by Clay Trenz First, Iım writing this monthıs Fly-Out information for Donıs article. Baker City is the place! August 17, 2002 is the date. It will be held at Christenson Flying service starting at 8:00am until 11:00am pdt. Huckleberry pancakes will be the main entree for breakfast. Cost for this meal will be $5.00. Tickets will also be available, during the Fly-In, for an evening Steak Feed. During the Fly-In you will have the opportunity to watch an R/C Airshow. A free shuttle to the Baker City Interpretive Center is also available. Ò Recap: Baker City Fly-In August 17,2002 Time: 8:00am-11:00am FBO: Christenson Flying Svc. Phone: 541-523-5663 Activities: Breakfast, R/C Airshow, Interpretive Center & Steak dinner. Local Coordinator: Mel Cross Phone: 541-523-4539 FLY FRIENDLY! YOUR NEIGHBORS IN THE SKY The Bend Airport is an uncontrolled airport, but we do subscribe to the official FAA recommended procedures for non towered airports. ³Uncontrolled² does not mean the same as ³out of control.² Runway 34 is the calm wind runway. Left-hand traffic is standard at all times. The graphic (figure 1) shows downwind leg offset one-half to three-quarter mile from the runway, standard for most fixed gear piston single engine aircraft. High performance singles may fly the wider pattern. Pattern altitude is 1,000 feet AGL or 4.456 feet MSL, but twins, turboprops and jets generally fly their pattern at 1,500 feet AGL. Communicate on the CTAF, 123.0. YOUR NEIGHBORS ON THE GROUND The area around the Bend Airport may look sparsely inhabited, but our airport neighbors are very aware of the sound of aircraft operations. The highlighted area is particularly sensitive and should be avoided if possible. Do not use high RPM settings in the pattern. On takeoff, reduce to climb power as soon as safe and practical. Depart from the start of the runway for the highest possible altitude when leaving the airport vicinity. Pilots should be advised that, according to Guide to Airport Noise and Compatible Land Use, noise is a matter of perception. and ³... for some people the intrusion of airplane sounds into their home, particularly late at night, is a source of irritation that becomes magnified because airplanes are conspicuous, unfamiliar, and perceived by some as unnecessary. In some cases, people may also transfer a subconscious fear of an airplane crash in their neighborhood into anxiety over the airplaneıs noise.² WE APPRECIATE YOUR PARTICIPATION & COOPERATION! Runways RWY 16/34: 5005ı x 75 ASPH MIRL. RWY 16: REIL. ASI (V4L), 3 , Trees RWY 34: REIL. Thld. Displ. 210ı, Road Activate all lights on CTAF Frequencies CTAF/Unicom 123.00 RDM RCO (MMV FSS) 122.50 RDM ASOS 119.025 SEA ATC 128.15 Field Elevation 3,456ı AGL; TPA 1,000 AGL Please avoid the noise sensitive area shown on map and the area 7 miles east, mile radius. NOISE SENSITIVE AREA RECOMMENDATIONS Pilots ^À Be aware of noise sensitive areas, particularly residential areas near airports you use, and avoid low flight over these areas. ^À Fly traffic patterns tight and high, keeping your airplane in as close to the field as possible. ^À In constant-speed-propeller aircraft, do not use high rpm settings in the pattern. Prop noise from high-performance singles and twins increases drastically at high rpm settings. ^À On takeoff, reduce to climb power as soon as safe and practical. ^À Climb after liftoff at best-angle-of-climb speed until crossing the airport boundary, then climb at best rate. ^À Depart from the start of the runway, rather than intersections, for the highest possible altitude when leaving the airport vicinity. ^À Climb out straight ahead to 1,000 feet or so (unless that path crosses a noise-sensitive area). Turns rob an aircraft of climb ability. ^À Avoid prolonged runups, and do them inside the airport area, rather than at its perimeter. ^À Try low-power approaches, and always avoid the low, dragged-in approach. ^À If you want to practice night landings, stay away from residential airports. Do your practice at major fields where a smaller airplaneıs sound is less obtrusive. Instructors ^À Teach noise abatement procedures to all students, including pilots you take up for a biennial flight review. Treat noise abatement as you would any other element of instruction. ^À Know noise-sensitive areas, and point them out as you come and go with students. ^À Assure that your students fly at or above the recommended pattern altitude. ^À Practice maneuvers over unpopulated areas, and vary your practice areas so that the same locale is not constantly subjected to aircraft operations. ^À During practice of ground-reference maneuvers, be particularly aware of houses or businesses in your flight path. ^À Stress that high rpm prop settings are reserved for takeoff and for short final but not for flying the pattern. Pushing the prop to high rpm results in significantly higher levels of noise. ^À If your field is noise sensitive, endorse your studentsılogbooks for landing at a more remote field, if available within a 25-nm range, to reduce touch-and-go activity at our airport. Fixed-Base Operators ^ÀIdentify noise-sensitive areas near your airport, and work with your instructors and customers to create voluntary noise abatement procedures. ^À Post any noise abatement procedures in a prominently visible area, and remind pilots who rent your aircraft or fly from your airport of the importance of adhering to them. ^À Mail copies of noise abatement procedures with monthly hangar and tiedown bills. Make copies available on counter space for transient pilots. ^À Assure that your instructors are teaching safe noise abatement techniques. ^À Call for use of the least noise sensitive runway whenever wind conditions permit. ^À Try to minimize night touch-and-go training at your airport if it is in a residential area. Encourage the use of nonresidential airports for this type of training operation. ^À Initiate pilot education programs to teach and explain the rationale for noise abatement procedures and positive community relations. For additional information visit the official website of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. RVR NOW AVAILABLE ON INTERNET by Amy Prutzman The FAA issued a news release earlier this week announcing that they are now providing commercial airline dispatchers and general aviation pilots with access to runway visual range (RVR) information over the Internet. (Full announcement provided below.) Basically, RVR represents the distance a pilot can see down the runway during an approach. Up until now, RVR was available to selected carriers under the FAAıs Free Flight initiative called Collaborative Decision Making (CDM). Now it will be available to everyone. Whatıs the big deal, you might ask? Itıs simply another source of information we are making readily available to help users better plan their flights. Among other things, this translates into saving flight time and fuel costs, not to mention increased traffic management efficiency at airports. Letıs take a commercial airline dispatcher, for example, for whom this information is particularly valuable. A dispatcher can use this piece of information, among others, to decide whether to launch an aircraft or to hold it on the ground. Or, perhaps, if things look iffy, to launch the aircraft but to add more fuel as a contingency and to begin making advance plans to divert the aircraft to an alternate airport, if the need arises. Doing all this contingency planning in advance is a lot smoother and more efficient than having to scramble around at the last minute because changes in plans affect not only the subject aircraft but the airport ground personnel at the destination airport as well -- those who work the gates, handle baggage, and the like. So, yeah, itıs a fairly big deal. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APA 35-02 August 5, 2002 Contact: Tammy L. Jones Phone: 202-267-3883 FAA Makes Traffic Management Planning Information Available on the Internet WASHINGTON ? General and business aviation pilots and commercial airline dispatchers now can use information obtained over the Internet to make flight planning quicker and easier. The U.S. Department of Transportation^Òs Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that it is now providing pilots with access to runway visual range (RVR) information over the Internet. RVR is a value that represents the distance a pilot is able to see down the runway during an approach. Pilots and flight operations centers use RVR in deciding whether to land at an airport when visibility is poor. Previously, RVR information had been available only to selected air carriers as part of the FAA^Òs Collaborative Decision-Making initiative, where it was used for traffic management planning. The agency has determined that it is in the public interest to make RVR information available to everyone through web-based technology. This will help pilots save time while planning flights and give them the information they need to make decisions about landing at their destination airport ? or whether they should consider an alternative airport. They will be able to check the RVR site from any computer with access to the Internet. Users will be able to view current and historical RVR data from 48 airports. The ability to access this real-time information is expected to enhance traffic flow management collaborative decision-making between the FAA and National Airspace System users, and between airline System Operations Centers and operational crews. The RVR data had to be provided in a way that complied with the FAAıs stringent security regulations before the site could become public. FAA security employees, system administrators, and developers at FAA^Òs Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Herndon, VA, and the Department of Transportation^Òs Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, MA, worked together to make this happen. Installation of the original RVR/traffic management interface, developed for the FAA by the Volpe Center, began with Boston and Memphis, TN, in February 2001 and is expanding nationwide. The RVR information is on the Command Centerıs public web site at http://rvr.fly.faa.gov. CALENDAR OF EVENTS August -2002 3 Aug 10:00am OPA Tillamook Fly-in BBQ Tillamook Airport 9-11 Aug. Corvallis, OR - OPA Festival of Flight. Mark Trujillo 9-11 Aug. McCall, ID - FAA Family Fly In 15 Aug. 6:00pm Flight Services Building, Bend CO-OPA Monthly Meeting 17 Aug. Flight Services Building, Bend CO-OPA Flyout to Baker?? 17 Aug. Baker, OR - Baker Chapter OPA Fly-in, Pancake Feed in the AM and Steak Feed in the PM, free rides to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, Mel Cross, (541) 523-6366 or (541)523-4539 17 Aug. Bend, OR - Palms to Pines 17 - 18 Aug. Rose Festival Airshow, by Intel (Thunder- birds on Saturday only) September -2002 7 Sept. EAA Pancake Breakfast - Twin Oaks Airport 7 Sept. John Day Fly-In and Breakfast Grant County Regional Airport (John Day) 541-575-1563 14 Sept. Expo Center, Albany - OPA Quarterly Meeting Dale Evans 14 Sept. 10-2 p.m. OPA Corvallis Fly-the-Kids, Corvallis Airport, John Gaylord CVO 541-745-5088 14-15 Sept. Oregon Air Fair, Albany Fairgrounds (next to airport) Gwen Morrow 19 Sept. 6:00pm Flight Services Building, Bend CO-OPA Monthly Meeting 21 Sept. Flight Services Building, Bend CO-OPA Flyout to ??? October -2002 17 Oct. 6:00pm Flight Services Building, Bend CO-OPA Monthly Meeting 19 Oct. Flight Services Building, Bend CO-OPA Flyout to ??? November -2002 9 Nov. 10:00am Lebanon, OR - OPA Annual Meeting Dale Evans 21 Nov. 6:00pm Flight Services Building, Bend CO-OPA Monthly Meeting 23 Nov. Flight Services Building, Bend CO-OPA Flyout to ??? December -2002 19 Dec. 6:00pm Flight Services Building, Bend CO-OPA Monthly Meeting 21 Dec. Flight Services Building, Bend CO-OPA Flyout to ??? Other Calendar pages Oregon Pilots Association Events Calendar Washington Pilots Association Events CHECK THIS OUT by Jack Kohler Wings of the Cascades has opened a new location at the Bend Airport. To celebrate, Mary Schu and her staff held an open house and hangar hop (yours truly is in this picture, gee, go figure). Next month weıll have more information regarding Wings of the Cascades. CHAPTER OFFICERS 2002 President: Nancy Lecklider 3054 NW Clubhouse Dr Bend OR 97701 541 330-1853 nancybob@teleport.com Vice President: Dean Cameron 20015 Chaney Rd. Bend OR 97701 541 389-8285 dcameron@empnet.com Secretary/Treasurer: Gary E. Miller 109 NW Wilmington Ave. Bend OR 97701 541 382-8588 gem@rellim.com Flyout Chair: Don Wilfong 210 SE Cessna Dr Bend OR 97702 541 389-1456 dwnw@bendnet.com Program Chair: Clay Trenz 2314 Monterey Pines Bend OR 97701 541 317-2899 claytrenz@aol.com Editor: Jack Kohler 63070 Deschutes Mkt. Rd Bend OR 97701 541 389-1493 jkohler@mactechsys.com Visit our web site at: co-opa.rellim.com for more info and link to the state OPA website. For members only lists: User name: S07 Password: 123.0 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= For information or questions regarding this news letter contact: Jack Kohler via e-mail: jkohler@mactechsys.com Newsletter submission: co-opanews@mactechsys.com