LONG BEACH FLYING
CLUB & FLIGHT ACADEMY
2631 E. Spring Street / Long Beach, CA 90806 / 562-290-0321
JUNE
2006 NEWSLETTER
visit us at http://www.lbflying.com/
email club@Lbflying.com
Teaching the world to fly!
With all the aircraft you need from the first hour to an
airline job and everything in between!
GOD BLESS AMERICA * WE FLY WITH CARE... Now, more than ever
Editor Candace A. Robinson
EDITORIAL - WHAT'S UP? INSURANCE COSTS AGAIN?
But
first, the following is an update since our report last month on the excessive
oversight of an unconscionable number of agencies: 1) We endured a base
inspection of our FAA Part 135, 141 and 145 certificates. One of the inspectors, however, was a
no-show, and he wanted resources available for June 8 and 9 to conduct his
portion of the inspection. We are in
the process of rescheduling that second inspection as we were responding within
deadline to the May 25th Drug Abatement audit and the first Part 135, 141 and
145 base inspection; 2) The refund check for the overpayment of the county
property tax came through (amazing) but while we dispute the $45,000 county
property tax on the building, we had to pay $18,500 to avoid penalties and
interest. Their mistake, our
penalty? The check cleared in less than
24 hours -- how do they do that? 3)
June 12th, the club aircraft insurance annual policy became due (see related
article); 4) One oversight agency we forgot to mention last month, LBFC
maintains FAA approval for LaserGrade, the FAA knowledge testing. We had a successful, unscheduled audit a few
weeks back. Thank you, Randy! 5) The bill from the results of the recent
sales tax audit came in and $2,300 needs to be paid by the end of the month; 6)
And as soon as the dust settles, we’ll resubmit the Veterans Information
Bulletin with the new aircraft rental rates.
ANATOMY OF AN INSURANCE RENEWAL
As far back as I can remember June 12th has been the date set for our annual insurance policy renewal. Our agent, the same one we’ve had for many years, began working on our renewal several weeks ago. But on June 8th we were informed that our June 12th insurance renewal would increase by the underwriter - - - at 33.4%, payable in full up front. Not only did that raise our $231,000 annual premium to over $308,000, suddenly to lose the monthly reporting form added finance charges by putting us in a position to need to finance the premium. The entire policy seemed out of our reach, having to come up with down-payment of over $60,000. After nearly a flawless year claims-wise…
Negotiations continued through Friday night, the numbers horrific. We decided to leave a few aircraft off the commercial policy for now, and will gradually add them back over the next several weeks. Be assured that we’ll use the next year to explore alternative insurance options and to be better prepared for June 12, 2007.
THE TIMES (AND PRICES) THEY ARE
A-CHANGING
Grasping for a bit of good news, these rates aren’t far off
the fuel surcharge rates we’ve been operating with since mid-April. These rates, in fact, do away with the fuel surcharge
for the foreseeable future as the fuel price is incorporated into these new
numbers. Also, the fuel reimbursement
is set at $4.46. The aircraft cash discount rental rates are as follows:
|
Make/Model |
Rate |
|
CESSNA
152 |
$69.95/HR |
|
PIPER
WARRIOR |
$92.95/HR |
|
CESSNA
172 |
$92.95/HR |
|
Cessna 172SP |
$135.95/HR |
|
PIPER
ARCHER |
$99.95/HR |
|
CESSNA
172RG |
$120.95/HR |
|
PIPER
ARROW |
$123.95/HR |
|
SEMINOLE |
$199.95/HR |
There will be no price change
for the AST 300X or the PCATD. The new prices went into effect June 12th.
|
WILLIAMS ESPINO |
PRIVATE |
C152 |
CFI
RICHARD GARNETT |
|
WUK JUNG |
PRIVATE |
C152 |
CFI
JAESEONG OH |
|
ERIK DEGERNES |
INSTRUMENT |
WARRIOR |
CFI
JAESEONG OH |
|
NICK KLUBNIKIN |
COMM |
C172RG |
CFI
RICHARD GARNETT |
|
BENNY BENSON |
PRIVATE |
C152 |
CFI
MATTHEW SILVER |
CongratS to
RICHARD GARNETT, top Club CFI for May, logging the most
hours of dual given in club aircraft!
Runner-ups were HaRRY LEICHER and PAUL RAYMOND! TOP GUN AWARD goes to PAOLA MCNEASE, logging the most flight
hours in club aircraft in May. Runners-up were RENE GARCIA and RON BATTESTEROS!
Safety Tip of the Month by Phil Barton
A couple of days ago I was talking to a
pilot friend about our flying experiences and about our close-calls while
flying. He told me about a couple of incidents that he experienced years ago.
It was back in the early 1970's when my friend decided to take some friends in
a rented aircraft from the Long Beach airport and fly to Catalina Island for
their famous buffalo burgers. After a leisurely lunch they departed and he
initiated a normal climb to cruise altitude, throttling back to normal
climb power when at a safe altitude. To his amazement, the engine stayed at full
power. Rather than risking a landing at
Catalina, he decided to play it safe, climb to a high enough altitude to reach
land if the engine should decide to quit running and return to Long Beach. He called the tower, told them of the
situation, and requested Runway 30. The
only way my friend could land safely was to intermittently pull the mixture
control out just like the WWI pilots - full power or no power. The landing was successful using this
method. The problem was found to be a
broken attachment of the throttle push-pull cable to structure, which allowed
the cable housing to flex without moving the cable itself.
A few
years later my friend and our mutual friend, Don Ruddy, flew a Cessna 310 , a
twin engine plane, on one of
Pilots West annual flights to Mulege in
Baja California. During the flight to
Mulege, the props suddenly went out of synch, In manipulating the prop pitch
controls to get them back in synch, they noted that the left prop control had
little effect, so the right prop was set to synch with the left and they
continued on a little sweaty-palmed. After landing at Mulege, the left cowling
was removed and, sure enough, the problem was this time a broken attachment of
the prop pitch control cable. The problem was solved with a little baling wire.
What's the moral to this story? Learn
from past experience to solve future problems as my friend did. Adios, and fly safely.
QUIZ:
TRUE OR FALSE? Each preflight and
postflight discussion is as important as the actual flight instruction of each
flight training lesson.
If you answered TRUE, you are correct. Each preflight and post flight discussion is as important as the actual flight instruction of each flight training lesson. Unfortunately, most students and many CFIs incorrectly overemphasize the in-airplane portion of a flight lesson.
i. The airplane and its operating systems, ATC, other traffic, etc., are major distractions from the actual flight maneuver being practiced and the aerodynamic theory/factors underlying the maneuver.
ii. If the elements of the flight maneuver are discussed beforehand on the ground, the necessary background knowledge will already have been covered to continue adding to experience in the cockpit, despite all of the distractions. Attempting to introduce a complex flight maneuver or procedure for the first time while in flight is very difficult, if not impossible.
Squawk doc – actual squawks
Squawk: Left
tire getting as bald as Paul’s head.
doc: We
really enjoyed that one. So did the FAA
at our last base inspection - at first.
Then they had to remind us that squawks are part of the aircraft’s
permanent record and remain so until superseded or one year after the
work/signoff is performed (see FAR 91.417(b)(1)).
SQUAWK: Strong exhaust smell inside cockpit.
Doc: Thank you so much for
letting us know, but by signing your name and pilot certificate number to the
middle portion of the squawk form, you have deferred the item, and are stating
the aircraft is airworthy to fly. I
would consider this an aircraft with cockpit air not worthy to fly, literally un-airworthy.
HELP
YOUR FELLOW PILOTS BY SUBMITTING PIREPS
Decreasing the number of aviation accidents may seem like a
complex business, but it doesn't have to be. "If every pilot on a
cross-country flight submitted just one pirep [pilot report], we likely would
see a decrease in the weather accident rate," said Bruce Landsberg, AOPA
Air Safety Foundation executive director. "At the very least, pilots would
have an easier go/no-go decisions to make." The foundation's entertaining
and informative SkySpotter program ( http://www.aopa.org/asf/online_courses/skyspotter/)
is designed to improve both the quality and quantity of weather information for
pilots and the accuracy of National Weather Service forecasts. Among other
things, SkySpotter includes instruction on the easiest ways to submit a pirep.
Links to official icing and turbulence reporting criteria also are included.
More than 25,000 pilots have completed the SkySpotter course since it was
unveiled in 2001.
REG
CHANGE: To better clarify the deductible waiver $5 per month fee,
the following change has been made in the club rules and regulations:
9.
Deductible Share $50 per year or $5 per month to reduce the $5000.00
aircraft damage liability to $500.00. Pilots are still responsible for
flattened tires, master switches left on, etc. up to $500.00.
NOTAM: Many thanks to Rene Garcia for the donation
– the vintage posters are our favorites!
NOTAM: Kudos to Cody Pierce for the donation of a
DVD player – we’re setting up another DVD station for watching training videos
– provided we can keep the warlords at bay (see article page 1).
NOTAM: Thank you to Martha Elser and Julie Gissel
for the donated filing cabinet.
NOTAM: Club
pilots wishing to write safety articles for our monthly newsletters would be
greatly appreciated! Many thanks to PHIL Barton for the help with this
newsletter!
notam: Flight Training Financing Option Now Available
Check out http://www.pilotfinancing.com/
or pick up a Pilot Financing application at the club. Interest rates are currently 13.95%.
REMINDER:
The club is now a DSL “Hot Spot” for Internet users. Call for details! Surf’s up!
EMAIL: If
you would like to receive this newsletter or the LBAA newsletter via e-mail,
send your address to club@lbflying.com.
NOTAM: LONG
BEACH AIRPORT ASSOCIATION NEEDS YOU!
LBAA applications are available at the club. We need your support -- all LBAA membership fees go to printing
costs of the quarterly newsletter and protecting General Aviation rights at
Long Beach Airport. Long Beach Airport
Association dues donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE so sign up today!!!
June 28: Long Beach Flying Club CFI
meeting from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm at LBFC.
July
24-30: EAA Airventure
2006, Oshkosh, Wisc. Contact: 800-564-6322 or www.eaa.org.
July 26: The
Long Beach Flying Club and the Long Beach Airport Association General
Membership Meeting will be held at the AirFlite facility on Taxiway
Bravo at the end of Wardlow Road. A
buffet will be served beginning at 6:30 PM with the program beginning at 7:00
PM. Everybody is welcome to attend ‑‑
we hope to see you there ‑‑ sandwiches, fruit and dessert will be
served! This meeting will count toward
CFI credit for July!
|
NEW
& REJOINED CLUB PILOTS |
BIRTHDAYS |
|
RICHARD
ARMITAGE PETER
BISSON PHILLIP
BOBET OLEG
BOTCHKAREV MICHAEL
CARR JASON
CLOUD YUJI’
HURINONCHI YOOCHANG
JOO RAJAT
KHURANA CHRISTOPHER
KILKUS SHANE
LEX NORMAN
LOW ERIC
PURMORT RAVI
RAMANATHAN JONAH
STEINBERG JONG
SEN SUN HUI-CHUN
TSAI THOMAS
VOGELSANG TERESA WARD |
JESUS ARGUILAR FRANCISCO BUSTAMANTE TIM DEROSE MICHAEL GADBERRY DARRIN GLENDAY JOHN (PHIL) GREGORY GEORGE HAFTOGLOU ALEXANDER HILGARTH PANCH JEYAKUMAR CLIFFORD JUNIO DOUGLAS KIM GRAEME KIMMEL DON KWAK JEFFREY LEW SETH MEJIAS JONATHAN MORALES GREGORY MYERS KAZUHARU NONO MARY ELIZABETH ORR GREGORY PETERSON ERIC PURMONT RAKESH RAVINDRAN CANDY ROBINSON JEFFERY ROCK ANTHONY ROLDAN RAFAEL SANCHEZ JAY SHEARS MATTHEW SILVER HENRY SMITH WALI SMITH DUNCAN STEWART RICHARD STRUM RONALD "RICK" TALBOT TARI TARICCO DEAN THOMAS MIKE
TOMKINS |
ORDER TODAY!
Long Beach Flying
Club Long Sleeve Polo Shirts in Navy, Black or Gray. Sizes small, medium, large, x-large
$24.95. XX-large $26.95. We’ll need your choice of color and size when
you call us at 562.290.0321 with your credit card number. Download from http://www.lbflying.com/ or Email shirts@Lbflying.com an order form of our
complete line of pilot shirts. Shipping
and handling $4.95 per order, CA residents add 8.25% sales tax.
Give the
gift of flight! A Long Beach Flying Club gift certificate for any denomination
you wish, be it for the first flight, pilot supplies, or aircraft rental, makes
a great gift for any occasion!
There
are three ways to obtain the gift of flight:
1. Stop by and pick up a gift
certificate during our office hours (8:30 am to 4:30 pm daily). You can purchase accessories to go with the
gift certificate such as a visor, aviation mug or LBFC logo shirt.
2. We can send you a preprinted gift
certificate for any denomination you wish -- just give us a call! We'll charge your credit card and get the
gift certificate in the next out-going mail.
3. We can email you a gift
certificate. Send us or call us with a
credit card number to activate it for any denomination you wish. You will be given a Gift Certificate number
to fill in at the bottom of your printout.
It's just that easy to give a unique and treasured gift. Keep it in mind for upcoming birthdays or anniversaries!