Thursday, July 31, 2014

Charlie Dickerson He was born July 6, 1950, passed on July 28, 2014.

We pause to honor the memory of our friend, Whiteplains neighbor and fellow pilot Charlie Dickerson, who passed away on Monday, July 28th. Charlie owned the hangar just to the east of the Gazebo.
Charlie, you have Gone West, not alone into the sunset, but into the company of friends who have gone before you. Have a safe journey.
Read the Obituary and view the Guest Book, leave condolences or send flowers. | Charles "Charlie" Wayne Dickerson LEXINGTON - Charles "Charlie" Wayne Dickerson, age 64, a lifelong resident of...
LEGACY.COM

Friday, July 25, 2014

THE FIRST AIR FORCE ONE



The sad story of Air Force One, the very first.




I don't normally pass these around but this one struck my heart. Maybe we could organize and help the process along. Perhaps just some time and effort not money, not sure. It seems like an admiral cause.

Mike,
Maybe something the pilots group could engage in, just a thought.

Thanks,
Jack

Subject: Fw: Fwd: THE FIRST AIR FORCE ONE
 


Columbine II still has a chance ......

Check out this short history....

New location to purchase Fuel.

I just found out that Saluda County Airport (6J4 21 NM West of SC99) has installed a self serve fuel pump. I confirmed today that its operational and the price is $5.20 per gallon. 

Planning on flying west?  You might want to stop by 6J4 for fuel. 

Bo 


--
Jim Fender



Not actual Picture of pump.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Congradulations go out to a new Instrument rated Whiteplains Pilot


We join with all of our Whiteplains neighbors in congratulating our good friend Tony Urbano, who passed his Instrument Checkride yesterday!

Monday, July 14, 2014

Nine fuels vie to replace leaded avgas - AOPA


  Editor's Note: After original publication of this article, the FAA corrected the number of fuels it announced it would evaluate as potential replacements to 100LL avgas. The article has been updated to reflect the correct number.
The FAA has accepted nine fuels to be evaluated as potential replacements to 100 low-lead avgas, marking significant progress in the search for an unleaded fuel to serve the general aviation fleet. Worldwide, approximately 230,000 aircraft primarily rely on 100 low-lead avgas for safe operation, and some 167,000 of those are based in the United States.
The FAA announced July 10 that it had received proposals from five different groups, including Afton Chemical Company; Avgas LLC; Shell; Swift Fuels; and a consortium made up of BP, TOTAL, and Hjelmco. Companies worldwide were given until July 1 to submit unleaded fuels for evaluation as part of the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI).
“Aviation organizations, the petroleum industry, and the FAA are working collaboratively to ensure the aviation community will have access to unleaded fuel that meets performance and safety standards, is affordable, and can be used by the existing fleet with minimal disruption,” said AOPA President Mark Baker. “We are pleased with the progress so far and look forward to the next phase.”
AOPA is a key member of the PAFI Steering Group, which also includes the American Petroleum Institute, the Experimental Aircraft Association, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the National Air Transportation Association, and the National Business Aviation Association.
With the deadline to submit fuels closed, each proposal will be evaluated in terms of the impact on the existing fleet, production and distribution infrastructure, environment, toxicological effects, and cost of aircraft operations. The most promising fuels will be selected for the first phase of laboratory testing, set to begin in September at the FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center.
From there the field will be further narrowed and the most viable candidates will move on to full-scale testing in engines and aircraft. The goal of this second phase of testing, which will require selected manufacturers to submit 10,000 gallons of fuel each, is to generate standardized property and performance data necessary to demonstrate scalability of production, and support qualification and fleet-wide certification data.
The FAA has set a goal of deploying an unleaded avgas by 2018, and Congress has expressed its support for the program, providing $6 million in funding this year and proposing the same level of funding for 2015.




Chick here: Nine fuels vie to replace leaded avgas - AOPA

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Animated firefighting - AOPA





July 7, 2014
Dusty has a new career in “Planes: Fire and Rescue.” Image courtesy of Disney.
Dusty has a new career in “Planes: Fire and Rescue.” Image courtesy of Disney.
The action may be animated, but the production team behind Disney’s upcoming film Planes: Fire and Rescue, sequel to the 2013 animated feature Planes, strove to keep every detail as realistic as possible.
Great pains were taken to avoid mistakes, such as propellers turning in the wrong direction or aircraft doing things that are simply impossible, and to get the details right when portraying how a range of firefighting aircraft perform in the air. Consulting with professional pilots and firefighters, they worked to craft characters that, aside from being talking airplanes and helicopters, behave as their real-life counterparts do, down to the aerodynamics and radio phraseology.
“It has to be a believable world,” said Bobs Gannaway, the new film’s director, in a telephone interview with AOPA. “Then, you will hopefully forget that it’s animated, and just get into the story.”
The story began coming together while Planes was still in production, and Gannaway set out in search of a new mission for Dusty Crophopper, the central character of both films (voiced by actor Dane Cook). Once Gannaway learned that agricultural aircraft are also used for aerial firefighting, it was time to learn how it is done in real life.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, better known as Cal Fire, responded with enthusiasm when Gannaway and producer Ferrell Barron reached out seeking help. The real-life firefighters who specialize in backcountry fire suppression invited the movie crew to tour firefighting bases and observe training exercises. Barron said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Travis Alexander was particularly involved throughout the four-year effort to make the film, which opens July 18. Alexander and others on the Cal Fire staff coordinated numerous meetings with pilots, smoke jumpers, and others on the firefighting team. With helicopters added to the cast of characters, the producers also enlisted renowned aerobatic helicopter pilot Chuck Aaron, known for demonstrating a wide range of highly unusual attitudes in Red Bull colors, because Aaron knows exactly what a helicopter can and cannot do as well as any pilot flying. Sean Bautista, who consulted on the original Planes, also helped steer the storytellers in the right direction. (Planes opened following a special screening at EAA AirVenture 2013 and went on to gross nearly $220 million worldwide, according to BoxOffice.com.)
This second installment is dedicated to firefighters, and is the first animated feature to pay such a tribute, Barron said.
The “Planes: Fire and Rescue” production team consulted with aviators and firefighters to create a realistic animated world. Image courtesy of Disney.
The “Planes: Fire and Rescue” production team consulted with aviators and firefighters to create a realistic animated world. Image courtesy of Disney.
While animated films are typically made with younger audiences in mind, both producer and director said they were gratified that early screenings for Cal Fire staff (and families) drew an enthusiastic response.
“We want aviators to enjoy the film and be excited that it is accurate,” Gannaway said. “The second thing is, we want the firefighters to watch the movie and also say that they got it right, or if we cheated a little bit, they understand why.”
Gannaway confessed there is one particular scene where they did have to “cheat” a little bit, though he was coy about which particular laws of physics may have been infringed upon. He said aviators should not have trouble spotting it, and there was no getting around it, either. They gave it a lot of thought, and decided in the end that the needs of the story trumped the need for realism, just once.
“I’m hoping that I got one get out of jail card,” Gannaway said.


Animated firefighting - AOPA

Flying Companions FAA Safety Briefing

New FAA Safety Briefing Available
Notice Number: NOTC5435

The July/August 2014 issue of FAA Safety Briefing focuses on Flying Companions. In this issue we look to provide a basic guide for friends and loved ones who join us in the air or might have an interest in doing so. In addition, you can learn about the current state of ADS-B and where it’s going in the future.
 
The issue is available online at: http://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/

 
Produced by the editors, FAA Safety Briefing, http://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/

Address questions or comments to:mailto:SafetyBriefing@faa.gov.


Follow us on Twitter @FAASafetyBrief or www.twitter.com/FAASafetyBrief.

This notice is being sent to you because you selected "FAA Newsletters" in your preferences on FAASafety.gov. If you wish to adjust your selections, log into https://www.faasafety.gov/Users/pub/preferences.aspx where you can update your preferences.
Invite a fellow pilot to the next WINGS Safety Seminar in your area.

Pilots Meeting July 21 - 7:00 PM

To: whiteplains-pilots-list@googlegroups.com
Mark your calendars for pilots meeting on July 21, 2014 @ 7:00pm. Jim Franklin will present a short program on "ramp checks". If you've never been checked you need to know this valuable information. I'm looking forward to this one! This will most likely be Jim's last presentation as he is retiring soon. Will try to send a reminder a few days before meeting.

Saturday, July 05, 2014

Subject: Whiteplains Announcements List - Bob and Elaine Sendoff


Hi Neighbors

Let's get together with Bob and Elaine Chatham for a final farewell. They are a great couple and we will miss them. We are planning to go to the Flight Deck Tuesday (7/8) 6:30 PM for those who are able to attend.

Please let Peggy know by Monday PM for the reservations. (951-0773 or 530-4962 or email: billandpeggycomo@windstream.net )


Thanks to all,

Bill and Peggy

Aerial Fireworks......

Video: Awesome Aerial Fireworks

By Bethany Whitfield / Published: Jul 03, 2014
Twister Aerobatics Team Fireworks
Twister Aerobatics Team
As the nation gears up for July 4th firework displays across the country, check out a more unique kind of celebration from the European-based Twister Aerobatics Team. Flying a specially crafted airplane known as the Silence Twister that is built with a honeycomb core and powered by a 107 hp UL Power engine, the team has been lighting up the night sky with spectacular pyrotechnic effects for the past several years.
Check out the videos below and see just how amazing their sparkling night show can be.
We welcome your comments on flyingmag.com. In order to maintain a respectful environment, we ask that all comments be on-topic, respectful and spam-free. All comments made here are public and may be republished by Flying.

Read more at http://www.flyingmag.com/pilots-places/pilots-adventures-more/video-awesome-aerial-fireworks#cHJ9JFwvFZGZHfDP.99

Tuesday, July 01, 2014

AOPA - Unmanned Aircraft Information

June 30, 2014
Titans of aerospace and startups alike gathered in Grand Fork, N.D., June 25 and 26 to discuss the future of unmanned aircraft in the National Airspace System. Here’s what a general aviation pilot should know about the emerging industry.
1. Don’t call them “drones.” They’ve gone by many names—drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, remotely piloted vehicles—but “drones” causes Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International President Michael Toscano the most angst. To the public, it connotes military, hostile, weaponized, and autonomous, he said. In reality, unmanned aircraft have a number of applications—search and rescue, crop monitoring, movie filming, and firefighting among them—and operating each aircraft is a human making the decisions. “There’s nothing unmanned about an unmanned system,” he said. The FAA term is “unmanned aircraft systems” (UAS), which encompasses the airframe as well as the communications link and ground station.
2. You’re already sharing the air. In addition to military training in special-use airspace, the FAA issues certificates of waiver or authorization (COAs) permitting military and public agencies to operate in certain defined, low-population areas and has begun to approve commercial operations on a case-by-case basis. Randy Willis, air traffic manager of the FAA UAS Integration Office, told attendees at the UAS Action Summit in Grand Forks that there are currently 675 authorizations for UAS to fly in the National Airspace System, with 226 more applications pending. And while the FAA says anyone operating an unmanned aircraft commercially in the U.S. must go through it first, many aren’t waiting for permission. Unauthorized flights are less predictable for other airspace users, and the FAA said it has recently seen an increase in reports of UAS sightings from pilots.
3. Look high and low. Unmanned aircraft are primarily making their debut high in the flight levels or low to the ground. High-altitude, long endurance aircraft like the Global Hawk aren’t much of a traffic hazard for GA pilots, but AOPA Vice President of Government Affairs Melissa Rudinger emphasized to attendees at the conference that GA has many operations in the lower altitudes of Class G airspace where small UAS use is expected to grow. See and avoid, the cornerstone of collision avoidance in the air, becomes “sense and avoid” or “detect and avoid” in the unmanned world, and is essential to unmanned aircraft’s integration into the National Airspace System.
4. Regulations are … good? “I would say there’s very few industries that want to be regulated,” said Toscano. “We’re one of them.” On one side, regulations will eliminate the guesswork of UAS companies trying to develop to regulatory standards that don’t yet exist. On the other side, they’ll provide a way to ensure that unmanned operations don’t threaten other users of the system. From the early emergence of unmanned aircraft technology, AOPA’s priority has been ensuring the safety of the humans in the system. The association and dozens of others signed on to a letter earlier in 2014 urging the FAA to hasten its efforts to establish regulations for small unmanned aircraft. The FAA has said it will publish a regulatory proposal establishing ground rules for the aircraft by the end of 2014.
Sarah Deener

Author Biography

Sarah Deener | Editor – Web, AOPA
AOPA Editor – Web Sarah Deener has worked for AOPA since 2009 and has been a private pilot since 2011.