Prez Sez
A&M Aviation has now been on Facebook for a year! If you want to know what is happening, who is flying, who has soloed, interesting pilot information, or just see the recent photos in our albums visit us on Facebook. Become a friend and be kept up to date on events each day.
The Springtime weather is unpredictable. As we have seen, even the weathermen have a hard time predicting it a day in advance let alone a week into the future. I bring this up because we have seen scheduling patterns that are reflective of the weather predictions a week in advance. The outcome is that students are missing great flying days because they have not scheduled! They expected the weather to be bad and it was not. Weather is important to a pilot and looking at all the information at hand and making a go-no go decision is difficult. It is therefore important to schedule your lessons, and wait to see how the weather progresses. You can always cancel, but it is difficult to get on the schedule at the last minute if the sun comes out. Evenings are a great time to fly, the winds die down and the weather is nice.
Training
This month I would like to talk about the Fixed Base Operator (FBO) and Flight School and the instructors and staff that make everything work. A&M Aviation, Inc. serves as both the FBO and the Flight School on the field. As the FBO, we provide fuel and a helpful hand to those on the field or visiting from other airports. The FBO also coordinates car rentals, hotels, tie downs, hangar space, courtesy car and sells charts. The Front Desk and Line staff also provide the necessary assistance to the flight school. They handle reservations, dispatch the aircraft, answer the phones, move planes in and out of the hangars and are there to answer the questions that come from the variety of people that visit our office. As you can imagine, they are kept quite busy on a nice Saturday or Sunday. The Instructors are the life line of any good flight school. Since A&M Aviation is a Cessna Pilot Center our instructors follow the standardized training methods and programs of Cessna. They deal one on one with the students, provide excellent training in a variety of aircraft, and are knowledgeable in the systems and avionics of the aircraft. We have a variety of full time and part time instructors. These are well trained instructors that are devoted to your success. As with any endeavor, good communications are critical, so ask questions of your instructors and ask the Front Desk too.
Upcoming Events
The first A&M Dinner flyout is scheduled for April 21st and we are planning to go to Central Illinois Regional Airport at Bloomington-Normal (BMI). We will depart around 4:00PM and meet at the restaurant that is located off taxiway D at the Bloomington Airport. For those of you who have gone with us on dinner flyouts last year you know the good times we have. If this is your first flyout you will enjoy the group and we always have a good time. Check the web site for other flyouts and summer trips. As our trips are VFR, we will be looking for good weather that Saturday.
Pilot Reminders
Now that Spring is here, we will start having more days when the wind is light and variable. We all need to pay special attention under these circumstances because the active runway may shift during the day. Monitor 122.9 before you enter the traffic pattern to determine the active runway. You can always check the wind at Lewis on 118.525 to get an idea as to what is happening at Clow. As the weather warms up, the grass will be getting soft and any excursions off the runway or taxiways could cause a plane to sink down and get stuck. If you happen to get caught in the soft grass or mud, call the office on 123.5 for assistance. Do not use the engine to power out of the mud; it will cause damage to the wheel fairings and possibly ding the prop.
April marks the start of the seasonal change to warmer flying weather. There is, however, a period of instability that will be with us for another month or two. This instability will manifest itself with fast moving cold fronts meeting warm moist air from the south. The outcome will be some strong thunderstorms, heavy rain, and strong winds. As pilots, we all study the weather carefully and watch these storms move across the area. Since these weather conditions will be with us the next few weeks, we need to watch the weather and plan our trips to avoid severe weather. It is always better to delay your flight a few hours or overnight if necessary to ensure a safe outcome.
We also offer accelerated Instrument, Private, and Multi-engine courses along with accelerated CFI courses. These are designed to get your rating in a time frame that matches your goals. Our instructors are flexible and can work with you to complete your next rating. Why go to Florida or Arizona to do what you can do in your own back yard? Stop in and see me to discuss your needs and my staff and I will make it happen.
The Frasca 141 Simulator is a valuable training tool. It has the ability to simulate many different conditions and to test the pilot’s skill in identifying and resolving those conditions. The instructor can control the wind, turbulence, loading, fuel, and center of gravity. He or she 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. It is also great exposure for the student pilot to experience emergencies that can not be duplicated in the airplane.
Flying personal aircraft is a thrill and allows the pilot to explore, go places, and enjoy the freedom of flight. There is nothing better than getting in an airplane and going to that little resort on the lake, that golf course in Michigan, or that fishing trip in Canada. All those places probably have one runway and, should there be a crosswind, what will you do? Clow International Airport also has a small, narrow, North/South runway that makes you training exciting, but improves your skills tremendously. Picture doing all your training at an airport with two or more runways, the only time you experience a crosswind is when you come to an airport like Clow for a few landings. That is completely different than landing at that airport every time you fly. Although you may find delays in getting solo flights completed, the crosswind experience you gain will be there when you need it. Especially when the weather is perfect and you plan on taking a trip to one of those great little spots where a crosswind can always be present. If you were back in Chicago under similar conditions you may not go flying, but the training and experience that pilots gain at A&M Aviation allows for a successful outcome. Don’t be fooled by thinking that big airports with multiple runways provide better training; they are there to service the corporate world and slowly chip away at your skills.
Happy Flying,
JIM