Minutes of the Whiteplains Pilots’ Association

August 14, 2006
Ray Hill – Vice President
Dennis Ramsey - host


The meeting was called to order at 7:03 P.M.
1.Ray Hill read the statement of purpose of the Pilots’ Association.
2. Self – Introductions were made
3. A moment of silence was observed in memory of Frank Skenes
4. The next Pilots’ meeting will be September 18th, 7 P.M. Location to be announced

Ray Hill introduced guest speaker Mike Flack, Executive Director of Columbia Metropolitan Airport who made the following points:

1. CAE has a master plan for the next 20 years which includes
a. Extension of runway 29 by 2400 feet
b. New tower on south side of airport
c. New fire house and National Weather Service buildings
d. Parking structure for rental cars
e. Expansion of terminal building
f. Adding other airlines to serve Columbia

2. For aviation, in general, outlook is strong and new light jets will make impact.
3. Day to day operation of CAE is self sufficient with NO state or local funds. Money comes from fuelage, landing fees and federal moneys. There is NO plan to charge landing fees for GA.
4. Wildlife, esp. deer, coyotes and birds are an on-going safety concern but they due have a plan that has been implemented to manage the problem.
5. The ASR-11 radar upgrade is installed and is up and running.
6. CAE is aware of Whiteplains Plantation and has no problems with our operations.
Mr. Flack complimented Whiteplains’ pilots and said we “are doing it right.”

Jim Wheat made a motion and Dennis Ramsey seconded the motion to accept last meeting’s minutes as is.

Old Business

1. Windsocks – The Board paid for a new windsock which was installed in the center of the field.
Several west end residents bought and installed a new windsock on top of Jack Fastnaught’s hangar.






New Business

1. Strobe for Elam Tower - $895.00
A little history:
Ray Elam, former hangar owner and pilot, was an active member of the Pilot’s Association. He often flew at night and found it difficult to locate SC99 at night especially when arriving from the north. Before his untimely death in April 2003, he proposed that a beacon be erected at Whiteplains on his hangar (-which is now owned by James and Joann Kiesler). After his death, Lloyd Krueger donated the present tower, and under the direction of Lee Van Wormer the tower was erected .
The aircraft strobe, which was erected at the top of the tower, operated briefly and then failed. Rotating beacons were procured from the South Carolina Division of Aeronautics, at no cost, but were determined to be too heavy for the present tower’s structure. At that time, the six pound, $895.00 airport identification beacon was selected as the proper equipment. In the Fall of 2005 the members of the Pilots’ Association voted in favor of erecting a beacon.
In the Spring of 2006 the board voted to scrap the plan for a beacon and then reversed it’s decision a few months later. Some felt it was not needed, others felt it would be a “light pollution” to the neighborhood. There was vocal support from a number of pilots in favor of the beacon with offers of donated money in May of 2006.
Given the fact that the $895.00 beacon will be pilot controlled, it will illuminate the environment for a maximum of 10 to 15 minutes and ONLY when a pilot manually turns it on with five clicks of the mike. The VASI light will come on simultaneously.

Current Action

Ray Hill shared a photo of the $895.00 beacon and renewed the Pilot’s Association support of purchasing and installing the beacon.
Ken Plesser, President of the Board, stated that the Board has money for all supporting costs such as wiring and labor but not for the beacon itself.
$130.00 cash and $35.00 in pledges was raised tonight by auctioning items donated by Ray Hill.
Pledge coupons were passed out for folks to donate money to the fund.
Checks may be made out to Pilots’ Association treasurer, Terry Yon, and mailed to him at 309 Whiteplains Place, Gilbert, SC 29054


2. There was no treasurer’s report as the treasurer was not present
3. Don Cook – Airside Operations
a. Don reported that the sides of the runway have been sprayed to keep the weeds down.
b. Don reports water erosion and damage from truck traffic on the runway.
c. A large pile of sand/clay was dumped at the side of the taxiway to stop erosion and poses a potential safety issue for low-winged aircraft. An e-mail of this potential hazard was sent to all pilots
4. Todd Falstad - Safety Coordinator
a. Todd reminded pilots of hazards of the dirt pile beside the taxiway
b. Todd spoke about Density Altitude and our need to be vigilant when flying in extremely hot weather. RUN YOUR NUMBERS. Your aircraft may not be running as efficiently as it did when the stats were written for it. You may have added extra weight in avionics and wiring not removed with upgrades. There is a slope in our runway and tall trees at the end. MAKE SURE YOUR AIRCRAFT WILL LIFT OFF IN THE DISTANCE WE HAVE HERE AT SC99. SAFETY FIRST.

5. Bill Como – Residential operations
a. Bill thanked Lee Van Wormer for the many, many hours he devoted to
mowing in the past .
b. Bill thanked Don Cook, Hal Clark, Jim Causey, Micah Froese and john Gardner for the many hours they donated to testing new equipment and for keeping Whiteplains mowed this summer.
c. Bill stated that the SCAG mower is exceeding the expectations they
had for it and welcomed additional volunteers to be trained and to donate and hour or two of their time for mowing and keeping our community beautiful. Call Bill at 951-0773 to schedule a 15 minute training session.

d. Memorial Park – Bill introduced an entirely new project and solicited
volunteers to serve on a committee to develop the idea of a memorial park which would include benches, and possibly stones with names of deceased residents, to form a patio. The benches could be erected in the larger of the two islands, under the Pecan trees, on Cirrus Lane and could be welcome places for people to gather or sit as they walked around our neighborhood.
The idea of a flag pole was mentioned but the final plan would be left up to a committee. Bill received a number of volunteers who will begin to plan. He mentioned that a conduit, or sleeve, already exists running under the roadway for electrical or water needs.
Funds for this Memorial Park would be allocated by the Board.
e. Lighting at the main entrance to Phase I has been fixed.
f. The sprinkler system at the entrance to Phase II still has not been fixed.

6. Nancy Van Wormer – Communications Coordinator
a. Don Cook was thanked for the outstanding job he has done on the
Whiteplains Blogspot. He has kept it up to date and it is a place any resident can go to find out current information, meeting minutes, upcoming events, birth dates and photos. Be sure to add this to your list of favorites: whiteplainscommunity.blogspot.com . If you have any appropriate postings please send them to Don.
b. Peggy Como was thanked for her recent work in organizing
donations for flowers for Frank Skenes’ funeral. In addition to the
beautiful flower arrangement a check for $102.00 was sent to
Odyssey Hospice in Whiteplains’ name. Thanks to all who made a donation.
c. Peg Peterson’s committee has had no new residents to welcome
d. At the next Pilots’ Meeting, an October date will be announced for group photos for the 2007 Whiteplains calendar.
e. Adopt-A-Highway – Diane and Jack Fastnaught will host the pick up on Saturday, August 19th. Gather at their home at 8:30 for goodies. Pick up at 9:00 A.M.

7. Lee Van Wormer stated that Ray Hill, Vice-President, will continue to run
Pilots’Association meetings while he remains on medical leave.

Auction

In lieu of the raffle of aviation items, an auction was held and all moneys donated to the fund for a beacon. A total of $130.00 was raised by this simple auction that was “called” by auctioneer, Bill Como. This activity produced much laughter and fun for all involved.
Foggles - $5.00 Dennis Ramsey
Windshield Cleaner $4.50 Todd Falstaad
Windshield Cleaner $4.00 Ro Lucas
Fuel tester $2.00 James Kiesler
Multi-tool $8.50 Nancy Van Wormer
Flight desk $10.00 James Kiesler
Sam Lyons print $35.00 Michael Benton
Sam Lyons print $40.00 Dennis Ramsey

Don Cook won the $21.00 raffle and donated it to the beacon fund. Thank you, Don.
Neighbors enjoyed the delicious sandwiches and cookies provided by Ray Hill.
Ray thanked Dennis Ramsey for hosting the meeting and asked for a volunteer for the September meeting. Call Ray Hill to offer your hangar.


Meeting was adjourned at 8:25 P.M. Notes taken by Nancy Van Wormer 8/18/06