Website http://co-opa.com September 2016, Vol. 16, Issue 9 President's Message: Heads up, our September meeting, is early in the month. This month it is the 15h, the Third Thursday, Make way to the Professional Air waiting room in the KBDN Flight Services Building. Check in around around 6 pm. Pig out at our 6:30pm potluck, and stay for the usual 'formal' meeting at 7pm. Last month was a great month for local flying. We had the WAAAM Fly-In, members heading off the far away destinations. Come to out meetnig and bring your stories to share, and your plans to make more. Not to mention the Airshow of the Cascades. Many people said it was the best Madras airshow ever, until it wasn’t… Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Marcus Paine. The weather is already turning, the valley forecast to be rainy for our Fly-Out day. East of the Cascades looks good. This will likely be our last warm weather fly-out of the year, let’s plan a good one. Calendar: 15 September – Monthly Meeting 17 September – Monthly Fly-out 20 October – Monthly Meeting 22 October – Monthly Fly-Out 17 November – Monthly Meeting 19 November – Monthly Fly-out August Fly-out: When the beach calls, you gotta go to the beach. The state forecast was for clear and calm. The weather for Pacific City (KPFC) was forecast to clear up at 11am on our fly-out day, and stay clear for a week. You never know about the beach fog, so we waited in the FBO until the weather started to clear up on the coast, then off we flew. Arriving to see a beautiful beach day, with people on the sand, and cars backed up on the roads. Not to worry: Fat Freddy’s, serving burgers since 1985, sits 20 feet from the end of the runway, and we were able to sit right down down to a great lunch. The runway is only 1860 x 30 ft, but the approach is over the bay, so you can drag it in low and slow. Be sure to check the winds first. Field elevation is listed as 10 ft, but that must be measured on top of the windsock. Be sure to check that the runway is free of water and tidal debris, which can be a problem after winter storms. Stay on the pavement, the rest is soft. After lunch we took a long stroll up the beach and back on the highway. Amazed by the crowds, and wary of the clouds. Not to worry, the forecast was for a week of clear sky, right? But back at the ramp, clearly the forecast was wrong. Can I get my money back? Luckily we could still see the sun, and were able to climb above the low fog quickly. Nothing but smooth blue skies for the trip home. 'Teach Your Children Well' It was almost four decades ago on my ‘solo cross country’ as a student pilot, flying from Salem to John Day and back. I almost ran the tanks dry. So in the spirit of 'learning from other’s mistakes,' I offer this true-life-student-pilot experience: Having accumulated a whopping 31.5 hours in rented Piper Warriors and Archers my instructor signed me off for my ‘long cross country’ on June 11, 1978. Enjoying the luxuriant green of the Cascades, over a dozen deep-blue lakes I flew, on this ‘chamber of commerce’ morning. Then on thru Central Oregon (our future home) and over the Ochocco’s in N1073H, an Archer-II. Of course the tanks were always full upon departure in those rentals and so having enough fuel for the round trip did not cross my mind until I began my descent for John Day and noticed the fuel gauges in the Archer were approaching ‘half-full.’ Certainly my instructor would have briefed me (wrong) on any potential fuel issues if there was even a remote possibility of running low. I mean he was a seasoned CFI and I was a 31 hour student. All I knew was that after each training flight the fuel truck was right there topping off the tanks before we were even back in the FBO office. Landing with slightly over half tanks, I made an Olympic-sprint to the restroom; ahhh… As he signed my logbook, the John Day AP Manager asked me if I needed fuel? Integrating ignorance with fear of the unknown, I declined his fuel offer. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction! Ignorance-wise, I did not know what type of fuel the piper used and did not want to appear stupid. Plus, what if there were 6 different grades of aviation fuel (?) and what if I chose the wrong grade? What if my Salem FBO didn’t allow fuel from other FBO’s? And after all, I had at least half the fuel remaining, with exactly the same distance to cover. So what could possibly go wrong? Yes, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction! As a student another factor that had not yet registered was that the prevailing winds aloft in Oregon were typically westerly in nature, and consequently I’d likely use more fuel on my return flight to Salem. The very-good news was that the winds aloft were much lighter than average on that beautiful June day, because anything more than 10 knots on the 2nd-half of my four-hour/350 nm round trip would most likely have meant running the tanks dry, thus performing an emergency forced-landing in the Cascade foothills or on the Santiam highway on this gorgeous summer Saturday. In retrospect, all the emphasis during my initial 30 hours of training was on passing the written test and check-ride, versus ‘real world practical concepts’ such as winds aloft, survival gear, density altitude, and the like. We learn by experience, not by words… I did begin to feel some anxiety after crossing the crest of the Cascades and noticing my fuel gauges were between ¼ and empty. Gulp… Being a bit more analytical at age 28, I had recently passed the ‘FAA written test’ and remembered the concept of ‘best economy’ relative to throttle/mixture settings. Hence, I referenced the Owner’s Manual and leaned the fuel/mixture appropriately. I also called Salem Tower 30 miles out and told them ‘I may be low on fuel’ (dah). Recognizing Archer 1073H as one of the local ‘student-aircraft’ Tower inquired if I was declaring an emergency, which I declined. This question only raised my anxiety level to a new height as I contemplated ‘do I need to be declaring an emergency?’ Having logged 2900 hours since then, I recognize and respect ‘declaring an emergency’ as a most valuable asset for any pilot in distress! No sooner had I stepped onto the tarmac in Salem (thank you God & Archer-II) when the fuel truck arrived to top off the tanks. I’m sure I looked like I’d been weaned on a dill pickle as we estimated there were only 2-3 usable gallons remaining! Again, in the spirit of 'learning from others' I offer these thoughts in summation: A most engaging song by Crosby, Stills & Nash in the 70’s was 'Teach Your Children Well.' Although I do accept full responsibility for my knuckle-headed actions, to all flight instructors I'd recommend you never take anything for granted with your students, especially with their early solos. Sure, it’s easy to ASSUME (ASS=U=ME) any pilot would fuel up under these circumstances, however I’d still highly recommend you explain to all your students the policy and procedures your school has adopted regarding purchasing fuel ‘away from the nest.’ Had my Salem instructor simply told me "top it off in John Day, bring us the receipt and we'll reimburse you," I’d not have placed myself and potentially others at risk, not to mention a perfectly good aircraft! Yes, we learn by experience, not by words. Instructors, please do 'Teach Your Children Well'.… – Richard Benson My Inbox: Old news, but here goes: The local EAA Chapter 1345 had a “Get To Know Your Neighbors” event this week. Pilots from almost all of the diverse groups on the KBDN Airport showed up. There great grilled food, beer and pizza, followed by a frank and open discussion of how to fly safely and friendly at the airport. A good time was had by all, and everyone learned something. The big message was communicate early and often. Be aware that others may not understand your operations profile, so be sure everyone is on the same page. Sorta like real life. Newsletter Inputs: Send your newsletter tidbits to: Web doings: Check out current and past CO-OPA newsletters, view our membership list and view hot aviation links on our website at: co-opa.com To access the members only areas the username is “BDN” and the password is “123.0”