Prez Sez
Hopefully the winter weather has come to an end. The days are getting longer and with a little luck we will get some nice weekends where we can fly on Saturday and Sunday. December and January have been two of the worst weather related months in a long time and we know this has affected everyone’s flying. Whether you are a student or just an avid flyer, very few of us got the chance to fly these last two months, we are optimistic this will get better and look forward to the change from winter to spring.
Our fleet has changed over the last few months and we will be using the Cessna 152 and Cessna 172’s do our primary training. This will leave the Cessna 182’s and the Cessna 210 for trips and weekend cross country flights. These airplanes are ideal for this because they cruise faster, carry more, and are roomier than the C-172s. The Turbo 182 has oxygen so you can take advantage of those stronger winds at higher altitude. The turbo skylane can cruise at 159 kts at 12,500 feet and has a service ceiling of 20,000 feet. We also have a Centurion T210. The airplane has a Garmin 430 and oxygen. It will cruise at 181kts in the teens and has a nice paint scheme and interior. The club rate will be $195.00/hour on the tach. The plane flies great and is available for rental. Because this airplane is a little faster, more complex, and heaver than our normal planes we will be requiring 100TT minimum, 10 hours RG time, and 2 hours in type as a minimum to get checked out. These are truly great planes for those Spring trips to Florida or the South East for golf. It will also work well if you are going to Vegas or New England. Get on the schedule and get checked out in one of these high performance aircraft.
Is it Time to start your Instrument Rating? An Instrument Rating will make you a better pilot whether you are flying VFR or IFR. It will also make you a safer pilot because of the expanded knowledge you have with regard to weather, airspace, ATC use, and aircraft performance. February is a great time to start your instrument rating; you can finish this rating by the summer and use your new skills to fly those trips you always wanted to make. At A&M we offer you a very structured course that is designed to get you your rating in the shortest period of time and provide you with the skills and knowledge to feel safe and fly safely with in the IFR system. We have state of the art airplanes with GPS and MFDs and aircraft with the G-1000 system that offer unbelievable situational awareness, our aircraft have great autopilots that will reduce your work load and make instrument flying enjoyable. Currently all our instructors are capable of training students for their instrument rating. We also have a Frasca 141 that is great for training; it allows you to stop in mid flight and see your mistakes, plot your course over the ground and see how you did vs. the instrument approach you were flying. The only thing that is keeping you from that instrument rating is a two hour commitment per week and a little studying at home. An instrument rating is one of the biggest accomplishments you will ever complete in aviation, for the weekend flyer it will give you the confidence you need to use your license on less than desirable days and get above the clouds for that smooth ride to your destination. For the person looking for the career in aviation it is like crossing the continental divide, its all down hill from there. So call up the Front Desk and schedule your first lesson, begin the adventure.
Happy Flying,
JIM
Other News
New Web Site www.aandmaviation.com has been redone to address many of our members needs and provide a great new resource for flight training. It has been expanded to include many references not available in the past, it has been linked to many sites that are great for flight planning, and it details the fleet and our training programs. If you have not been to the site lately you should spend some time now to check it out. It is also an ever changing site that is updated with new and interesting information on a regular basis.
The Frasca 141 Simulator is a unique training tool. It has the ability to simulate many different conditions and to test the pilot’s skill in identifying and resolving those conditions. You can control the wind, turbulence, loading, fuel, and center of gravity. You can fail the landing gear, flaps, generator, vacuum pump, or electrical system. You can also fail the artificial horizon, VSI, turn and bank, DG, altimeter, and subject the pilot to pitot ice. Failures of the navigation system or engine systems like mags, fuel pump, prop governor, or total engine loss can all be simulated. The weather can be adjusted, ceilings and visibility changed, flights can be done in the day, dusk, or at night. These combinations can challenge the best VFR or IFR pilot.
The simulator is also available for instrument flight training and keeping current. If you need to get those six approaches in, the simulator will give you the best bang for the buck. You do not have to worry about icing or low ceilings in the simulator, get on the schedule and give it a try.
Staying current is a lot easier than getting current.
Flight Training is a constant challenge with the weather, westerly winds, and scheduling difficulties. To help students continue on a timely training schedule the Front Desk will offer options when a student’s instructors schedule is full. For example; if you call for a 10:00AM Saturday appointment and your instructor is booked, the Front Desk will offer other instructors that are available at that time and throughout the day. Should you choose the fill in instructor, he will review your syllabus with your instructor and conduct the lesson so that you continue to advance toward your goal. We hope you take advantage of this option should you be the victim of the winds and bad weather or find yourself not being able to fly as often as you wish. As always Jolan and I are available should you have any questions or scheduling concerns. If you need to cancel an appointment please do so as soon as possible, a 24 hour notice would be appreciated in order to reschedule the instructor. If you have an appointment scheduled and do not cancel we expect you will show up for that appointment, repeated failures to cancel appointments you have scheduled will result in a charge for the instructor time not utilized.
