montgomery squadron - jun 2009

8/2/2019 Montgomery Squadron - Jun 2009

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TTThhheee CCCooonnngggrrreeessssssiiiooonnnaaalll RRReeecccooorrrdddNewsletter of the Congressional Flying Club and Montgomery Senior Squadron, CAP

Vol. 27, No. 6 Gait hersburg, MD (KGAI) June 2009

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In th is issue

Presidents message ............................................................1Correction...........................................................................1Aircraft rates.......................................................................1Chaplains corner................................................................1Crew chiefs........................Error! Bookmark not defined.A Cardinal rule ...................................................................2From the airport manager ...................................................3The eyes have it!.................................................................3Minimum account balance..................................................4Party! ..................................................................................4Work hours .........................................................................4Work hours monitor............................................................4Membership renewals.........................................................5Fly-ins.................................................................................5Your flying account............................................................6New accounting system ......................................................6Filling out your flight tickets ..............................................6

Address for checks..............................................................7GAI-2-OSH meeting...........................................................7Dave Lawlors CFI initial checkride...................................7Funny stuff........................................................................13Maintenance team.............................................................14

Presidents messageWe have reached the second half of the calen-dar year and the beginning of a new work houraccounting year.

With that comes another change: Our account-ing system is being radically overhauled, with

some new procedures and approaches. Foryears we have posted the accounts for all to seeon the web site or in paper form in the trailer.While this approach follows our general philoso-phy of openness and transparency, it also bringsup some privacy issues.

The books and accounts are still available for allto see; however, with the transition to a new ac-counting system we are going to e-mail eachmember a monthly statement showing their ac-count status, aircraft usage, fuel purchases, andother credits. Our hope here is that with moretimely reports we will be able to account to the

membership in a much more timely manner,keep your account more current, and improveour financial situation. The new accounting sys-tem will provide us with more detail on expensesand make it easier to track fuel usage, oil, parts,and other costs more closely.

On top of all that it will (we hope) provide themembership with some meaningful financial re-ports. Having said all that, should you havesuggestions about the system, please communi-

cate those ideas to Dick Strock or the Board ofDirectors. I am sure that, initially, there will besome glitches. These can be fixed, but youneed to look at your account and let us know ifthere are any errors.

We also have a new Flight Proficiency Boardchairman, Andy Mullen. He has a big set ofshoes to fill, as John Peake has done a fantas-tic job for many years. John is in the process ofmoving to North Carolina as he and his wife fin-ish their transition to retirement. They will bearound for a while, but his goal is to retire to amore sane environment at least he claims it ismore sane in North Carolina.

With the change in chairmanship of the FlightProficiency Board also comes a review of our

rules and regulations, as well as our by-laws.This will bring about some other changes, sincethe way we have operated has changed in manyways since these rules were last updated. Wewill publish an updated version of the rules andregulations in the coming months.

BOB HAWKINSCorrectionDan Hayes brought to our attention the fact thatAlex Wagenheim is no longer doing the checks.Please send or give checks for your flying ac-count to Bob Hawkins, at least until we find an-

other volunteer. (P.S.: That job is easily worth20 hours per year!)

Aircraft ratesFollowing are our aircraft hourly rates as of 1June 2009.

Aircraft Rate

N15624 $125

N20300 $105

N25883 $69

N5135R $88

N739BA $88

Unless otherwise noted, rates are per tach hour,wet.

BOB HAWKINSChaplains corner

HO! ANYBODY GOT UBUNTU?


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Pamela Torres sat in a Washington, D.C., areaairport last December 23 waiting to take a planeto Colorado. Not the best of times to be onstandby, hope faded gradually for her. Then she

overheard a man talking on his cell phone. Hehad been waiting three days with his daughter.He had attended his fathers funeral. He wasunsure if he would get home to his wife forChristmas in a town next to where Pamela lived.Pamela listened to his grief. She too, wanteddesperately to be with her family for the holiday.She approached the man and offered, If wedont get on this next flight, I have a new car. Iwill take you and your daughter home. Theflight departed without them.

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According to promise, Pam Torres and the manwith his daughter left the airport. She called our

office where she was a chaplain intern and toldus that she would be driving to her home inColorado with a man whom she met at the air-port. It completely upset everyone who heard ofthis. She drove 1,700 miles with a stranger andhis daughter so that they could be home forChristmas. She said, It was the human thing todo.

Ms. Torres views this act through the lens of theAfrican word ubuntu, about which South Afri-can Archbishop Desmond Tutu says much: Ub-untu is the essence of being human. It speaksof the fact that my humanity is caught up and is

inextricably bound up in yours. I am human be-cause I belong. It speaks about wholeness; itspeaks about compassion. A person with ub-untu is welcoming, hospitable, willing to be vul-nerable, affirming of others, does not feelthreatened that others are able and good, forthey have a proper self-assurance that comesfrom knowing that they belong to a greaterwhole. They know that they are diminishedwhen others are humiliated, diminished whenothers are oppressed, diminished when othersare treated as if they were less than who theyare. The quality of ubuntu gives people resil-

ience, enabling them to survive and emerge stillhuman despite all efforts to dehumanize them.

Pam affirms: For me ubuntu is wrapped up inone word, Love, for there are three things thatwill endure: hope, faith, and love. And thegreatest of these is, as sacred scripture says,Love. (I Corinthians 13:13)

CHAPLAIN (LT COL)EDCO BAILEY,D.MIN., B.C.C.

A Cardinal ruleWe have found over time that the Cardinal usesabout one quart of oil every 68 hours. This is

so if the level in the engine is kept around 66.5quarts. Therefore, when adding oil to the Cardi-nal only add enough to have the level between 6and 7 quarts. Partial quarts may be added toattain this level. Oil levels above 7 quarts onlycauses the oil to be blown out over the belly ofthe airplane. The Club pays about $4.50 perquart, and blowing this oil out can add about$2.00 per hour to the operating cost if levels areabove 6.5 quarts. The engine is quite happy with6 quarts. If you are making an extendedflightthen a level of 6.57 quarts is fine. Also, it ishighly recommended that 34 quarts of oil be

carried in the luggage area before departingGAI(this oil may be found in the Line Box or theClub

This newsletter is published monthly by the Congressional

Flying Club, Inc., and Montgomery Senior Squadron

#18073, CAP. Unsigned articles represent the opinion of

the editors, who are solely responsible for their content.

Contents copyright 2009 Congressional Flying Club,

Inc.; Montgomery Senior Squadron #18073, CAP; and

individual authors.

Meetings: Every Tuesday at 2000 at the CAP Trailer,

Montgomery County Airport (KGAI), Gaithersburg, MD

Physical address: Box 4, 7940-I Airpark Dr., Gaithers-

burg, MD 20879

Flying Club Board of DirectorsPresident Bob HawkinsVice-President Dick StrockSecretary TBDTreasurer TBD

Members at Large Bryan Absher, Steve Bushby,Bob Gawler, Ruth Hornseth,Mike Regen

Flying Club AdministrationChaplain Edco Bailey

Scheduling Dan GolasFlying Accounts Piotr Kulczakowicz,

Raj UppoorWork Hours Program Michael Regen

Mtnce Advisor Bill PechnikMtnce Coordinator Bill HughesSafety Board President John PeakePublic Relations Mark Gladstone

CAP Squadron AdministrationCommander Mike Regen

Deputy Commander Dick Strock

NewsletterEditors Andy Smith, Sandy GilmourProduction Andy Smith, Sandy GilmourMailing/Distribution Chip Fleming, Dan Golas


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hangar dont leave town without it!). This ex-tra oil can help the balance of the airplane; alsokeep in mind that the Club will only reimbursethe Club cost of oil to pilots who add purchased

oil on a trip. An exception to this would be a pilottaking the aircraft on an extended trip. Commonsense should be the rule.

JOHN PEAKEFrom the airport managerThe drive-thru gate has been working intermit-tently at best. According to the manufacturer, theproblem probably lies within the circuit board,which has been ordered. Worst case, the under-ground loop is bad, which means digging, as-phalt work, etc.

The lock on the walk-thru gate facing the ramp isbroken, and a replacement has been ordered.

No deer have been spotted for at least fourmonths. Extensive fence repair has apparentlyreaped benefits. Geese are unfortunatelysomewhat plentiful because of a lot of rain andthe surrounding storm water managementponds.

Blackbirds that were numerous in the fall havedisappeared. Fox and ground hogs are stillaround but seem to pose no problems.

Noise abatement: A reminder to all we have aformal noise abatement program in effect at alltimes. In addition to the published documents(www.montgomerycountyairpark.com), recom-mendations include:

Reduce propeller rpm, if practical andwithin manufacturers recommendations,on takeoff;

Refrain from making intersection take-offs;

Climb at best rate;

Calm wind use runway 14;

Follow recommended procedures as

outlined in AIM for traffic pattern opera-tions;

Remember to make clear and conciseposition reports at all times when in ornear the traffic pattern.

I am working with MCFD Station 28 on settingup a training session for fire and rescue trainingpurposes. Dates for this will be sent to all thosewho are interested.

Have a great summer!

John Luke III, C.M.Airport Manager

Montgomery County Airpark (KGAI)7940 Airpark RoadGaithersburg, MD. 20879301-963-71001-800-I-FLY-GAIwww.Montgomerycountyairpark.com

The eyes have it!Are you thinking of LASIK vision correction?

Like many people, I had deteriorating distancevision. I've worn glasses for distance vision most particularly for driving at night in the rain,or wanting to see signs at long distances in air-

port concourses, or seeing my audiences when Ispeak to groups. At the urging of my FAA doc, Ihad always managed to pass the Third ClassMedical standards without glasses, even if con-siderable squinting was involved, and so hadmanaged to avoid the second step visit to anoptometrist as part of my biennial medical. Buteven if the FAA didn't REQUIRE them, I defi-nitely wouldn't fly without my glasses!

So, in theory, when I decided to get LASIK vi-sion correction, why would I need to tell theFAA? After all, the FAA never knew I woreglasses in the first place, right?

In the words of the immortal Homer Simpson,"D'OH!"

I did look up whether the FAA was okay with thiskind of surgery. Only afterwards did it occur tome that if I'd had ANY kind of surgery, the FAAwould most assuredly want to know all about it.So, I looked it up. And of course I'll be filing thepaperwork! After a bit of web surfing (after all, ifit's on the internet, it must be true, right?), Icalled my FAA doc in Arlington Dr. AmbrishGupta, a good guy and also checked in withthe helpful people at AOPA's Medical Hotline.

I'm lovin' it so far! I got the non-dominant eyecorrected first, with a new procedure calledPresby-LASIK, which corrected both near anddistance vision. Even the same day, my distancevision was perceptibly better and has continuedto improve. The initial predicted effects of haloand star surrounding light, especially at night,have decreased significantly in the month afterthe surgery. The near vision takes longer to sta-bilize.


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If you're a candidate for laser vision correctionand thinking of making the change, of courseconfer with an experienced ophthalmic surgeonand consider the risks. If you decide it's a go,

here's what experts say the FAA requires forpost-surgery approvals before you can return toflying:

Once your vision has returned to meet FAA'svision standard for the class of medical youneed (20/40 for 3rd class) and you are not ex-periencing any complications or effects like starsor haloes, you can have your doctor completeFAA's Eye Evaluation Form (8500-7) and for-ward that to FAA. Here's the link to FAA Form8500-7:http://www.aopa.org/members/files/medical/eye_eval.pdf.

JUDY BRADTMinimum account balanceA number of years ago the club decided to re-quire a minimum balance of $100 in everyonesaccount. This decision was based on severalfactors. For the most part the club was doing itsbest to control costs and keep rates down westill strive for that goal. In any case, by requiringa minimum balance in everyones account wehave, as an example, the funds to buy oil 10cases at a time, which saves us about $2.50 per

quart. That translates to about $1 per hour inoperating costs: 7 quarts at an oil change and 6to 7 quarts usage between oil changes (14 X2.50 = $45). That may not sound like a big deal,but extrapolate that out for the tires, brake pads,and other parts, and it quickly adds up to severaldollars per hour in operating costs.

Another factor was and is that the club is not inthe business of funding other folks flying. Whenthis minimum deposit went into effect we hadseveral members who always owed the clubmoney in other words, we were financingtheir flying and they were paying us (eventually)

after the fact, sometimes weeks and monthslater.

With the advent of the new accounting systemthe club will be able to more effectively manageits finances. Costs continue to escalate, but wehave been able to hold the line on our rates.Part of the reason for that is that we have thefunds on hand to make timely purchases forsupplies, especially when we get deals on oil,

tires, batteries, and other parts we need or willneed in the near future.

BOB HAWKINSParty!We have a 5th Tuesday this month! Time togather, celebrate our new trailer and catch upwith flying friends.

The grills will be fired up. Burgers, chicken, hotdogs and kielbasa will be served. Beer and softdrinks are included.

Please bring something to SHARE. Salads, fruit,chips, pasta dishes, beans and desserts aresuggested. The variety makes a memorablemeal.

Bring $7 per person in cash or check to CFCChildren under 12 are $3.50.

Please email me if you are coming so I mayshop the sales and have enough food. If you cancome the last minute...please come (and bring abigger dish to share)! Hope to see you Tues-day, 30 June 1830at the trailer!

RUTH HORNSETHWork hoursAmy McMaster ([email protected]) isour Work Assignment Officer; contact Amy to

find out what jobs are available.Mike Regen takes care of recording the hoursthat you work. You can e-mail your work hoursto me ([email protected]). When sendingthem to me, please put in the subject line: WorkHours, your name, # hrs worked. This will helpme organize the e-mails for future reference ifthere are any discrepancies.

MICHAEL REGENWork hours monitorJune is the first month of the work hours year,

so by 30 June you should have 1.7 hours ofcredit.

Here are the work hours waypoints listed byquarter. If you have the indicated number ofhours at the end of a quarter, youre on course.

Qtr 1 31 August 5.0

Qtr 2 30 November 10.0

Qtr 3 28 February* 15.0
http://www.aopa.org/members/files/medical/eye_eval.pdfhttp://www.aopa.org/members/files/medical/eye_eval.pdfhttp://www.aopa.org/members/files/medical/eye_eval.pdfhttp://www.aopa.org/members/files/medical/eye_eval.pdf


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Qtr 4 31 May 20.0

*29 February in a leap year

Mike Regen, Keeper of the Hours, has the fol-lowing reminder:

Please everyone, when you submit work hoursto me please...PLEASE...use the following for-mat in the subject line:

Work Hours-your last name-#hrs

It is difficult for me to filter through the 6080emails I get a day some of which, includingyour work hour requests, get sent to my spambox, which I only check every few days. Eventhough correctly formatted work hour messagesare tagged, there is still a need to filter throughall of them to be sure I am getting everyoneswork hour requests. In order to make my lifeeasier and sure that I don't miss your workhours, PLEASE follow this format in the subjectline.

This format will also help me to locate yoursubmitted hours should there be a discrepancy.

Many of you are not following this subject lineformat. Some are sending forwarded or re-sponding messages that have totally differentsubject lines having nothing to do with hours.Don't be surprised if I missed your hours if youwere one of these naughty people.

Thanks everyone for helping out with this.If youre in doubt about your work hours, contactMike; if youre looking for jobs to do, contactAmy McMaster.

DICK STROCKMembership renewalsAs you know, the CFC membership year ends atthe end of this month and it's time to fill out anew membership renewal form. This applies toeveryone members, members on specialstatus, and designated CFIs, even if you just

joined within the last month or two.Only the 2008 edition of the forms will be ac-cepted. These are available in the "Files" sec-tion of the AircraftClubs.com web site in twoversions. "CFC application blank - 2008.doc"can be filled in on your PC before you print it outand sign it.

"CFCapp2008.pdf" can be printed out and thenfilled in by hand before you sign it. There are

also some copies available in the trailer you canpick up and fill out.

Since I would like to receive the forms with your

original signature you can either leave them inthe Air Operations mail box in the trailer, or mailthem to me at our CFC address or to my house:

Dan Golas24925 Dunnavant Dr.Gaithersburg, MD 20882

As always, try to be reasonably accurate withyour hours and other information. Since thisinformation is used for our insurance renewal,any false statements could have unfortunateconsequences if you have the misfortune tohave an accident, or if we have to file a claimwith the insurance carrier, i.e. you could be on

the hook for more than the deductible.Some comments from previous applications:

1. Most people will check at least one box forRatings ASEL (Airplane Single Engine Land),unless you are a student pilot.

2. Constant Speed Prop hours means time inan airplane with a variable pitch propeller, not C-152 or C-172 time.

3. I can usually tell if you are guessing at yourhours if the hours listed are less than the yearbefore. If you want to at least be consistent youcan call me or send me an email and I can tell

you what you entered on your application lastyear. Also, an entry like 500+ or >150 does-n't help.

4. Don't forget to check all the questions eitheryes or no. If you have a conviction for a trafficviolation also include your driver's license num-ber. You don't have to say what the convictionis for if the insurance company really wants toknow they can access your driving record them-selves.

Complete and submit the forms as soon as youcan. After a reasonable time anyone who hasn'tsubmitted their renewal will be locked out of the

scheduling system. DAN GOLASFly-insIn case you missed Reading maybe we can getyou to Lancaster for a neat sounding little showin August. Saturday 22 August there is a showthat sounds pretty worthwhile, bomber ridesavailable and other neat things. Best guess


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right now TFR in place for the show from 1300to 1600 so would not be locked in for all day, butthere is stuff going on all day if you want it. Seehttp://lancaster.schultzairshows.com .

ALSO, ask around, there may still be a ride anda tent buddy for Oshkosh too. You can see whois signed out for planes on the Aircraft Clubssite.

JOE STUBBLEFIELDYour flying accountPiotr Kulczakowicz and Raj Uppoor are theclub flight-time accountants.

Reports are posted in the Files section of theAircraftClubs.comsite. They will also be avail-able in a binder in the trailer about the 15th ofeach month for the prior month.

If you return to GAI after fuel has closed for theday and cant enter your fuel purchase in theaircraft logbook, e-mail Piotr at:

[email protected]

Also contact Piotr if you find discrepancies inyour account.

And check out the info on the new accountingsystem, in the following article.

New accounting system

With the posting of the March 2009 accounts,the Club will be implementing a new accountingsystem. Please review your account and if thereare any discrepancies please notify Dick Strock([email protected]) as soon as possi-ble.

An attempt will be made to post the April ac-counts by the end of May and get the accountbalances to each member. Report formats willbe somewhat different, as will the deliverymethod. The May reports should be finishedduring the first half of June. Additional informa-tion on report formats and delivery methods will

be forthcoming.Beginning in June, the flight logs will be proc-essed on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, so it isimportant that flight logs be completed in atimely manner. Particular attention should begiven to fuel purchases. Make sure the entriesinclude, at a minimum, the number of gallonspurchased and the total cost. If these fields areincomplete or illegible, proper credit will not be

issued, which may result in account balancesdropping below minimums ($100) or going nega-tive. Scheduling privileges will be immediatelysuspended for members whose accounts go

negative.

Your patience is requested during this transition.

DICK STROCKFilling out your flight ticketsI hope the change to the new QuickBooks ac-counting system has not been too much of ashock to everyone. We've still got a few bumpsto get over, but it appears to be going prettywell, at least from my perspective. I just want tobring a couple of items to everyone's attention.

As of 8 June we began processing flight logs ona weekly basis. They will be picked up (usually)on Monday morning, after the weekend flightactivity, and processed that day. The upside ofthis change is that you will be receiving, viaemail, flight invoices and fuel credit memos on aregular basis, allowing you to monitor your ac-count balances and hopefully avoid those pesky"insufficient account balance" charges, or worse,have your aircraft scheduling privileges sus-pended.

The downside is that accurate reporting will re-quire some additional diligence on your part toensure the flight logs are complete and legible.

When processing the May flight logs, we en-countered numerous tickets that had incompleteand/or illegible fuel entries one ticket had onlythe date and tach times entered, not even aname. We had to photocopy tickets, e-mailthem to the suspects, and ask for clarification.

We're not going to continue that practice. So ifyou refuel at the end of a flight, hang around forthe fuel truck and complete the ticket. Verify theprice with the FBO if you are not sure of it. Ifyou are unable to wait or if the FBO is closed,call the FBO at your first convenience, get the

information, and send me an e-mail.By processing the flight logs on a weekly basis,you should be receiving monthly account state-ments during the first week of the subsequentmonth. The statements will cover only the pe-riod through the last day of the month, so anyflight activity or financial transactions that occuron or after the 1st of the month will not be in-cluded.
http://lancaster.schultzairshows.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://lancaster.schultzairshows.com/


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Thanks to everyone who has provided feedbackand suggestions on the new system, and pleasecontinue to do so.

DICK STROCK

Address for checksPlease note that the address to mail Congres-sional Flying Club checks is:

Congressional Flying Club7940-I Airpark RoadGaithersburg, MD 20879

Checks can also be brought to the meetings andgiven to Bob Hawkins.

GAI-2-OSH meeting

It's that time of year again. Just 2 months to gobefore many of us depart for Oshkosh to attendAirVenture. For those who are thinking of going,please try to attend our first meeting of the year.The meeting will be held at 1900 on Thursday11 June at the Congressional Flying Club trailerat Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg.

Some of the agenda items which will be dis-cussed include:

Traveling logistics

- What planes and pilots plan to fly in and when?

- Who plans to fly out together?

- Is anyone driving out?- Ride sharing / load sharing?

Parking logistics

- How do we plan to ensure we are camping to-gether?

Dining & camping logistics

- How will meals be handled?

- New option for storing items at Oshkosh?

- Will we have a car this year? Do we needone?

- Who is bringing what items for general use?

- What will Mr. Gadget have for us to help easeour camping woes?

Many of these items are under discussion athttp://www.facebook.com/home.php#/board.php?uid=52475717822. You do not need to registerwith Facebook to read these topics. You justwon't be able to reply. So I suggest you lookthrough some of this prior to our meeting to getbackground info on some of the topics.

If you cannot make the meeting, but have an-swers to some of the questions or issues above,please e-mail me with your information and I canshare it at the meeting.

ADAM DONALDSONMy CFI checkride[Editors note: This is part one of a two-part se-ries chroniclingDave Lawlorsquest for his CFIticket. Part two follows in next months issue.]

26JANUARY 2009Eighty-five percent. Thats the proportion of ini-tial CFI applicants who fail their first time takingit with the Baltimore FSDO.

Yesterday afternoon after almost a 6 hour oral Itook off to preflight N6429T, a Cessna 182RG. Iwas one step closer to becoming a CFI, havingpassed the Oral portion of the CFI Practical.Thirty minutes later I learned Id be coming backagain.

I busted one of the easiest things to do retractthe gear at Vxafter a stall recovery. All but thelast step in the power off accelerated stall wentfine but I missed the gear in a timely manner.Busted!! finito, done! I had failed the check-ride and now had the option of continuing or fly-ing back over the bay to KANP. Matter-of-factlyshe asked what the procedure is for stall recov-ery, which I articulated; she then asked if I hadperformed the maneuver as required. I said Ihad not. She then informed me that I had failed.I had assumed that if I blew anything on the ridethat I could admit that was a poor demonstrationand could admit that to the student and wouldhave at least one chance to correct it. Not how itworks! I was very disappointed but had prede-termined I would get as much done as I couldeven though my mental state was expectedly ona downer.

The good news is, you get to read all about itand avoid the same mistakes I made. In hind-sight I failed on the simple and performed verywell on the difficult. Go figure! Heres a recap ofthe day. While some of this may sound discour-aging, its not meant to be. She was fair butstrict. The PTS rules. Break tolerance and thatsit. I did and I got what was clearly coming to me.I told her I appreciated her integrity and examin-ing me according to the rules and constraintsestablished. Would I have liked and easier moremerciful test sure!


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Dont expect any kudos or compliments duringthe day. I didnt get any. What that reinforced tome is the importance of communicating encour-agement and acknowledging what was done

well. I want to build up my students.

So heres how the day went in a bit more detail:

With my roller-bag filled with aviation insomniamaterials in tow I departed KGAI at 7:09 andflew via VPONX and VPOOP to KANP andlanded on runway 30. For those of you who ha-vent been in to KANP in the past year, youll likethe new blacktop. Pretty nice. Incidentally thereare triangles painted on the runway. These sig-nify 1/3 marks on the runway. I tied down northof the field on the grass as prescribed. Watch forholes and bumps. I pulled her off the taxi pave-

ment in to place so as to avoid soft ground orthe potential for a prop strike. My back hurts to-day as I did the same on Wednesday night com-ing back from KFDK uphill into the slot at KGAIwith the ground very slushy and icy. After tie-down I proceeded to the parking lot area to seewhere wed do our oral. Two options: the NavalAcademy or the Pilot lounge. We chose the pilotlounge, which has a nice table for setup.

I laid out my material, documents and set up mydry-erase and laptop. As we went through theday Ms. Frost (not her real name) would askwhat I was required to have at each step alongthe way. So be prepared to walk her through theday. Its an interesting feeling to be the CFICandidate, the Instructor, and in some ways theexaminer. Its very different to all the other rides.Shell ask her questions at the appropriate time.For example, she started out by asking whatdocumentation I was required to present to her. Ipresented my credentials along with a copy forher records (which she didnt want and pre-maturely thought I might be providing copiesinstead of an original medical etc). She reviewedthose and the 8710. She requested that for fu-ture rides pre-populate the ID verification infor-mation on the back save, of course, her

signature. We talked some about logbook main-tenance, where to store what requisite informa-tion, etc. Next we went on to the aircraft records.I went through the logbooks having indexed allthe pertinent inspection notations, the date con-ducted and the next due date. On the airframemaintenance log she wanted to know what wasrequired. I said that the endorsement needed tohave the date conducted, the pertinent FARs the

annual was conducted in compliance with, astatement that the aircraft was considered air-worthy and approved for return to service. I wenton to tell her its also required to be signed by anIA and not an A&P unlike the 100hr. After allthat, which I thought was a fairly complete andbasic overview, she asked what else needed tobe on the page of the log? I went on to talkabout the requirements of 43 and specifically43.7 as outlined in 91.409. [Read, highlight andtab your 2009 FAR/AIM]. She wasnt satisfiedand told me I was getting too technical. Thesweating began. In my mind I had begun theexplanation with the basics and progressed tothe detailed. I didnt offer much voluntarily andwent deeper upon request for more information.After Id exhausted my knowledge of the main-

tenance related FARs I went back to the basicsagain because she wasnt relenting. We needthe Date Conducted, the Tach and Airframe TT,the endorsement entry with signatures. Exactlyshe said. I was a bit frustrated because Idstarted with that at the very beginning but shedidnt seem to pick up on it. This happened afew other times during the day. When I circledback with the basics she seemed happy. Em-phasize in some way your remedial explanationand make sure she really heard that before go-ing on. If she probes ask her if shes like a sim-pler explanation or a more complex answer. She

may not bite but worth asking. Ask her to reciteback to you what you told her to make sure sheheard it. Perhaps she was playing a student andlooking for me to become frustrated which Ididnt.

So with the paperwork out of the way and havingconfirmed everything was in order we were ableto begin the exam. The more I reflect back onthis experience, the more examples I see of in-terpersonal differences. If this was intentional onher part Im impressed but she never let on.

Now that the paperwork and aircraft weredeemed to be in compliance she outlined how

the examination would occur and basic PTSstuff. She assured me that as soon as I failedanything shed let me know immediately andgive me the option. I remained optimistic in-spite of this. She was upfront and said she didntplay games unlike some examiners that let theapplicant continue in spite of their failure but nottell them until the end. This is good. So as longas you dont hear anything to the contrary youredoing fine.


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We talked about FOI. What is learning from myperspective? My first sentence was that learningis the result of a change in behavior as a resultof experiences, and I went on to explain that in

my own words with my own examples of this.After chasing my tail we ended up back with areiteration of my first sense. We covered theteaching process, teaching methods, evaluation,flight instructor characteristics in a scenariomanner. (How would I engage a walk-in lookingfor a flight review?) Start by examining his log-book for his flight experience vs. asking him/her.Human factors, and lesson planning. Welaunched into endorsements. I looked up aboutsix things during the day after Id give a sum-mary briefing and wanted to go to the FARs forthe details. She didnt really seem to like me

looking anything up. Six things in six hours didntseem like a lot but I felt she did. This was a sur-prise. I intentionally didnt try to remember all theFAR section references but she certainly wantedme to know the gist of them all. The one ques-tion that caused me the most trouble was thefollowing. Can a student pilot solo at night and ifso what is required? I said they could, whichthey can, and the general requirements associ-ated with getting to that point including ADM andsafety considerations but I was missing an im-portant component of the answer. I had ex-hausted my knowledge on this question per

61.87but she wasnt done and wasnt lettingup. She threw me a bone look up associatedlimitations. I did in 61.89(a)(6): 5sm vis re-quired vs. 3sm. I had been tunnel-visioned onrequirements and forgot to also include the per-tinent limitations lame mistake! We covereda bunch of other FARs. We focused mostly onstudent pilots. How would a student pilot end upwith student license (which is not a medical) anda separate medical? Tricky. Student pilot licenseis valid for 2 years, 17-year-old student medicalis valid for three years, student license expires,with 1 year left of the medical, in year three theperson must apply using an 8710 directly to theFSDO for a new one, a year later the originalmedical expires, and the student must return tothe AME for a new medical. Apparently thissituation happens a lot.

The discussion on Aerodynamics was interest-ing. After covering the basics and the advanced

which, in retrospect, I was over-prepared for she asked me why an airplane turns. With mymodel aircraft in hand I again explained the

changes that occur in lift on each wing as a re-sult of wing camber changes and the air beingspoiled that causes differential drag and how therudders serve to provide a means of maintainingcoordinated flight and combat adverse yaw butshe wasnt happy. I retraced the basics andsome of the advanced focusing on the way thehorizontal component of lift affected the aircraftand caused the turning moment. I talked abouthow the aircraft was moving through the air andhow trust continuing to be present propelling theaircraft forward but still she came back to whydoes an aircraft turn. She went on to tell me99% of the CFI applicants cant answer in asimple way this question and why that is prob-lematic. In hindsight, perhaps the insight for heris that its the question and the expected answer

and not all the idiot CFI hopefuls out there. Theanswer she ultimately wanted is that the aircraftturned because the flight path through the airchanged. Anyway give that answer first andyoure on to better things.

In the Technical subject area we talked aboutmost of the elements with two or three questionson each. We didnt talk much about publications.This was a bit of a bummer because I put areally complete binder together with a catalog ofall the pertinent advisory circulars and other ref-erence materials including a ton of electronicmaterials I had available on my laptop including

presentations Id put together on a comprehen-sive list of topics.. She wasnt impressed, but itsa good resource for me which is important. Fromthe remaining sections the focus was on unusualflight attitudes. Make sure you practice settingthis up and talking through recovery. She saidwed do that on the flight portion.

Airspace. This is one of my strongest areas andI answered a dozen or so chart questions rightoff the bat which brought a quick end to that sec-tion. Modulate your response so the examinercant easily differentiate between strength areasand weakness areas. From the Washington sec-

tional: Rules, Dimensions, history around theTRSA, Class E to the ground and why. Whatsspecial about Millville and why is it E to theground RCO on-site; why that RCO airport isdifferent from others (she didnt know either). Iasked why Leesburg isnt class E to the groundalso (she didnt know). Special Use airspace andreason why its special use. Airport symbologyand differences, runway length implied, services


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offered, and all the basic chart stuff. Pity thatdiscussion was done in 10 minutes.

Then at around 10:30 we took a 10 minute break

after which she told me I had 30 minutes to pre-pare a lesson on Eights on Pylons. I waspleased with this selection both in terms ofteaching and demonstration. I did not pre-planall the potential lessons, but its not a bad idea todo so. I planned the lesson plan and used mydry erase and power-point slides to talk herthrough the components. She focused in on piv-otal altitude and wanted to understand that froma student perspective and its relationship towind, bank, ground speed and airspeed all ofwhich I was prepared to discuss. Focus yourdiscussion on how youd calculate and approxi-mate pivotal altitude and then determine it on

site. Talk about how you are changing your alti-tude as a result of wind to maintain the sameGround Speed. Talk about pivotal altitude beingthe altitude youd be at around pylons in a no-wind situation. She seemed pleased with thatlesson and told me to be prepared to teach thatwhen we head out.

Then we broke for lunch 30 minutes at KFC.She moved from NY, worked previously on run-way surveillance and now conducts a variety ofwork at the Baltimore FSDO including accidentinvestigations, new school certification, pilot ac-tions, and CFI rides. They are doing a fair

amount now and thats the main rating they getinvolved with. She is a Master CFI and taughthundreds of students. Pleasant conversation.

So back at the lounge. I briefed the flight, howId conduct the lesson, airspace, ADIZ flightplans, IMSAFE briefing, required documents,etc. She wanted more. I pulled out my briefingwhich I normally do in the aircraft and coveredthat. Talked about how wed file ADIZ, how wedpick it up via phone contact once ready with Po-tomac Clearance and at what number, how wedexit and through what gate (PALEO) in and out,but she wanted more. For a minute I wasnt sure

what I missed. I said that for a local flight Iwouldnt prepare a navigation log and sheagreed that wasnt needed. Then I thought shemust want performance charts. So I presently acomprehensive pack I had put together for theflight over including a manual nav log, W&B(confirming her estimated weight), T/O andLanding distances (using the most conservativeassumptions). I even had Google Earth 3D pic-

tures of the waypoints wed see on the flightfrom KGAI to KANP. Shes asked me to bringwhat Id expect of the student on such a flight. Ihad prepared that and a lesson plan of whatwould be covered. I was thrown for a loop be-cause Id already done it and didnt quickly relatethat to the KANP-KESN leg. Incidentally, plan forRidgely too (RJD) narrow, short & bumpy.She was satisfied and emphasized that CFIsshould require this of every student for everyflight. Ive been thinking of creative ways to dothis. For example I contemplated that flying outof KGAI downwind departure tailwind 11 kts.Only 850 available for ground roll. Would yougo? I told her that once I was sure they wouldcalculate this manually that Id focus on teachingthem some of the excellent tools available for

flight planning and performance calculations. Mylogic is that if we make it easy for the studenttheyll do it every time. Who wants to do a man-ual flight log for every flight? I told her about theD3 level ADDS is at and as such not approvedfor flight planning and what is required for theFAA to move an app to D4 which is fully ap-proved for flight planning DUATS based ap-plications.

So on to the pre-flight. We did a thorough pre-flight. Determine whether shes a private orcommercial student, or take control and say fora Commercial student here is what Id do. Shes

okay with the checklist being just that and not ado-list certainly for a commercial pilot and aftersome supervision for a student. This was en-couraging to hear. Know how many cylindersreceive the prime (2). She doesnt like any throt-tle pump at all not even 1 second before startingso dont do that. Afraid of primer induced fires.[After I got my ticket I politely cited that the POHcalls for this and they certainly acknowledgesthe hazard. I mentioned the importance of notsecond-guessing the manufacturer. She recon-ciled this by considering 1 pump okay but in or-der to ensure the throttle valve was in the

appropriate position]. Be prepared to note andrecite the precise mag drop from each side (Imgoing to start recording this on each flight). I dosomething different to the book in that I start withthe L mag and then use the R. My logic is that ifyou check the R last then youll click at leastback 1 to the right and be on both. If you checkthe L last then you may stop at the R magneto.This makes sense to me but is not what thebook requires so be aware of that see above


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note on not second guessing the manufacturer.Is there a time and place for this? She didntcomment on this and I did it by the book. Prior togetting in the aircraft I checked the ground for

holes or sogginess and determine a path to thetaxiway (if you can call it that). Theres plenty ofground clearance on the three blades but I cer-tainly didnt want to get stuck.

So after taxi, getting the ADIZ code and freq Icalled for a short field departure which I did. Shedid no flying throughout the flight and seemedpuzzled Id even ask if she planned to at anypoint. So be prepared to do 100% of the flying.Also, going in to this much of my focus was onhow Id talk through all phases of flight and notleave much quiet time. My expectation was thatId be checked on my teaching ability. Either my

teaching was good enough or my flying was badenough that pretty much the only commentswere on flying and not on how I was teaching.On the briefing for the second day she con-firmed that my instructional ability was very goodwhen I asked.

So I decided on the ground wed fly over KESNat 3500 after staying at the appropriate levelsfor the crossing over the bay remaining wellclear of Bravo. I briefed this early and remindedher of division of duties, how to engage CRMand see-and-avoid techniques as we crossed.As we approached ESN I monitored the tower

and talked about class D procedures, differ-ences, and some tips on flying in, around andover D. We proceeded to the practice area Ididentified previously. I picked a location close toKESN and just east of the Choptank River. Theriver I figured would help me from a situationalawareness standpoint and serve as a good ref-erence point for maneuvers. As we got to thepractice area she said shed like to be taughtsteep turns followed by a stall of my choice. Ofall the things I thought I could blow it was thesteep turns. From the left seat I seldom havetrouble with them but from the right seat Id

struggled in nailing them. But Id been gettingbetter once I finally got a sense for the differentperspective from the right seat and used by in-struments more effectively for scanning. I put anextra effort into teaching awareness of trafficand clearing the area. I talked about this on theground and frequently on the flight over. I did a180 degree to the left (citing left turns are pref-erential because passing traffic should pass onmy right), and then for extra caution another 180

deg to the right. I mentioned what is required isturns adding up to 180. So, established for theturns using the bridge on the river for my head-ing. I nailed the first turn (to the left) remainingalmost perfect on altitude at 55 degrees and hitmy wake on roll-out with a perfect heading andrelease of backpressure. Rolling straight into theturn to the right I lost a maximum of 40 cor-rected and hit my wake again with a perfect roll-out. First maneuver and the one I was lookingforward to the least done! That felt good but Iknew there was a long way to go. Next werestalls. I configured the aircraft for a power-offdescending stall. I said I was simulating the traf-fic pattern and how students could use that toremember configuration. She asked why I wasdescending at 500 per minute and I said be-

cause I was just past the numbers and about toturn base. She accepted that answer. She hadsaid she wanted a turning full stall. Incidentally,she doesnt equate a turning stall with an accel-erated stall. (I thought any stall with a non-zerodeg bank was by definition an accelerated stall,but in any case shes the Master CFI and theExaminer so I didnt argue. I recovered on thefirst a bit too quick and said that wasnt a goodexample of a break and that Id show her a bet-ter example. I was a bit annoyed at myself forrecovering prematurely and set up for the sec-ond which was a nice coordinated break, re-

lease backpressure, power (including carb heatoff), first notch of flaps up, airspeed increase,positive climb rate, and remaining flaps.BUTforgot the gear. DONE! She asked whenthe gear is supposed to be retracted in this ma-neuver and I said it was supposed to be re-tracted upon reaching 70kts [Later she told meshed like to see it at Vx]. I asked if I could dem-onstrate the proper procedure and she declinedstating that there are no redos and that I hadFAILED! I had the option to continue or return toAnnapolis. I said I would like to continue andattempt to pass other areas of the test. She wenton to say that she wasnt going to ding me onclearing but that I really should have cleared inbetween the two stalls. Teach and do clearingturns at the beginning and end of each maneu-ver to develop this habit.

Raise the wing on the direction of the turn andcheck the opposite side to ensure no one willcome up behind you. She said she would haveaccepted it if I said I was clearing as I was in mydescending turns. I hadnt verbalized this. Note:


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Be careful what you do say, but talk continu-ously with special emphasis on this. In discus-sions later I found out that most of the CFIs thatfail have clearing in their redo list. It seems that

there are usually multiple fail points too. I rec-ommend that if you are unfortunate enough tofail that you should get as much done as youcan. I feel better today know that Ive got a lim-ited number of things to cover on the redo.

She asked for air-work first. Incidentally, sheasks distraction questions right as you are aboutto enter the training areas and begin configuringthe aircraft. She wanted a pretty detailed answeron Va.

Eights on Pylons: I selected the pylons andtalked her through this as I flew. Nothing really

unusual other than at 1050 (900 AGL) shepulled power. I established best glide, found myfield and committed to it, went through memoryitems, pulled my checklist, remember Air, Gas,and Spark (for engine restart even at low alti-tude) and got dialed in for landing. We went alittle below 500 AGL which in hindsight Ishouldnt have but she didnt mention anything. Isuppose that also could have been a bust itembut it wasnt. We then did some steep spiralsand other maneuvers, all uneventful. It waswindy at altitude so pick a point almost right be-low for the steep spirals so you can maintain asteep turn.

So now on the KESN (I intentionally picked apractice area near ESN in hopes that wed doinglandings there.) Great airport. So the first land-ing she wanted was a short-field. I nailed theapproach, airspeed; hit my spot within 10 whichId given her while on downwind. Appropriatelybraked both aerodynamically and with wheelbrakes and came to a stop. We did a short-fieldclimb out. On the climb-out she asked if I nor-mally did short field landings without retractingthe flaps. I knew what was coming. I said thatmuch of my instruction called for not touchinganything on the airplane while on the runway so

as to avoid an inadvertent gear up scenario andthat at KESN we didnt need the additional re-duction in rollout. Having flown with Annabelleand Gawler, neither of them likes pilots to touchthe flaps on landing. I was sensitive to this andthought if I would fail on anything it would be toretract flaps. Of course in hindsight all I neededto do was to verbalize this so shed at leastknow that I knew what the book required. After-

wards she said she would have accepted this.While she didnt say anything I knew this wasgoing to be ding number 2. She asked how Iwas instructed and said it was company (CAP)procedure to conduct it this way unless the fieldwas actually short. All of this while Im turningcrosswind and talking with tower. Then ondownwind she said shed like to see a soft fieldlanding touch and go. Fair enough. Again, I setup nicely, flew a good approach, good airspeedcontrol, entered ground affect with a little powerand landed slowly with a little power and noseup. Maintained nose up and asked if shed likeme to continue to exit the runway and demon-strate appropriate soft field taxiing. She said thatwasnt necessary and that I would take off.

In hindsight when you have a question, answer it

yourself as youd like to do it. Shes looking fordecision making and when youre instructingyoull be making the call. This is obvious but thestudent/examiner scenario is a bit awkward inthis regard. So what do I do? Flaps up, clean theairplane and take-off. Problem number three: inher mind I was still on a soft field and shouldhave demonstrated a soft-field take-off. Stay inthe scenario. If you are on snow then until yousay the scenario is over youre still on snow,short-field, and the like. In hindsight it was clearshe said a touch and go, and I should have putthe too together or at least confirms she wanted

a soft field takeoff. THIRD STRIKE. Boy Im feel-ing great at this time. Oh well. So with that shesaid we had completed the ride and could returnto KANP.

On the flight back she asked what best glide inthe airplane was and I reiterated 80kts at 3100lb, slightly below that at our weight of approxi-mately 2850 lb. She asked for my checklists,emergency lists etc. and then went on to insistthe best glide was 72kts. Having blown the threethings I didnt argue but pointed out the bookclearly states its 80kts at 3100 lb. We landedand she asked to see that. I pointed it out in sec-

tion 3-13 of the POH. 72kts is the speed for2550LB. One could argue that the answer issomewhere in between us both given our pre-sent weight, but she was satisfied that I had areference for it in the POH. I shut down at4:50pm in KANP and was back in KGAI by5:40p long day. Id been at the airport at6:15am. Dont underestimate how exhaustingthis day will be. Practice a few flights to PTSStandards after a long hard stressful day. Make


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Funny stuffsure you have a safety pilot so you get the realexperience of this. At minimum we think lessclearly and our procedure efficiency decays withfatigue.

In-flight announcement heard on AirTran:

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome aboard Air-Tran flight 123, with nonstop service to Atlanta.In a few minutes our wonderful flight attendantswill be coming down the aisles with our award-winning breakfast service [Editors note: coffee,tea, milk, and some fairly tired sweet rolls].Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight orbetter yet, fall asleep so we dont have to dealwith you!

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So thats it. Pink slip (actually peach) in hand, Iwas on my way home. Bummed, frustrated atmyself for especially the gear and not verbaliz-ing the short-field protocol. Most folks who flywith me can attest to my normal action being tosay Flaps Only and raise the flaps after anylanding. Trying to be on my best behavior costme. No excuse on the gear issue.

Next steps are to fly with John and get a new8710 and sign-off and fly within 30 days (PerMs. Frost; FARs say 60 days). If I dont Ive gotto repeat 100% of the test again. Now that would

stink.

ANDY SMITH

Write for theNewsletter!

Express yourself, get

your ideas out there, and

earn work hours!

If you have a story idea,please contact the News-

letter Editor mailbox:

[email protected]

See the next page for updatedinformation on our maintenance

team, listing Crew Chief and

Assistant Chief by airplane, as

well as a couple of standard

procedures.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the FAA has astrategy of failing most first ride to teach a les-son they hope will save lives. Maybe they areright. A few things Id know before have beenreinforced for me as a result of this experience.They are:

1. Theres no place for touch and goes in PrivatePilot training. I once read that with touch andgoes you end up with neither a proper landingnor a proper takeoff. I believe this especially forprivate pilots.

2. Secondly, managing the examiner is some-

thing I underestimated. Be decisive and tell herwhat will happen. For example, I should havesaid on the soft field that I would land and simu-late taxiing and then stop given its not an actualsoft field, brief the takeoff and demonstrate asoft field takeoff.

3. Encourage your students in abundance forthe things they do well.

4. Assume that students arent ready until theycan fly the perfect simulated ride to all PTS. Onthe day theyre bound to be out of PTS on some-thing and theyll probably get one secondchance.

5. Add a brief checklist for maneuvers and use itfor configuration and clean-up this could havesaved my ridemaybe!

DAVE LAWLOR[Be sure to tune in next month for the excitingconclusion of Daves saga!]


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Maintenance team

Bill Hughes, Maintenance coordinator

Bill Pechnik, Inspector & chief advisor

Elroy Lovett, Special projects & senior advisor

John Peake, Roving asst. crew chief

Airplane N25883

CE-152

N7739BA

CE-172N

N5135R

CE-172M

N20300

CE-177

N15624

PA28-235

N6429T

CE-R182

Crew chief Ruth Hornseth Gashaw Mengistu Vic McGonegal Dick Strock Dan Hayes Louis Krup-nick

Asst chief Todd O'Brien Greg Costello Phillip Carls (John Peake) Dan Boyle (open)

Maintenance Procedures

Crew Chiefs are responsible for scheduling maintenance on their respective airplanes and are requested, as a cour-tesy, to notify the Maintenance Coordinator whenever there is a problem or when maintenance is scheduled. When-ever possible, upcoming maintenance will be announced to the membership to give members opportunity to help andto earn work-hour credits.

Aircraft problems needing maintenance action should be reported to the Crew Chief ASAP. If the Crew Chief orAssistant Crew Chief cannot be reached to report a problem, contact the Maintenance Coordinator or Club Presidentfor Club airplanes or the Squadron Commander for CAP airplanes. Bill Pechnik and Elroy Lovett should be contacted

ONLY by maintenance team members regarding maintenance problems.

montgomery squadron - jun 2009

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