Greetings fellow aviation enthusiasts,

Well spring has sprung, the clocks have jumped ahead and there is another hour of evening for flying. So far the winds and turbulence haven’t been bad later in the day and there are some beautiful sunsets to be seen from the air. There are a lot of flying events coming up if you care to venture out and spread your wings. Isn’t that one of the reasons you became a pilot?

A bit of sad news to pass on. Paul Mattson and his daughter Lea were killed in a vehicle accident in Anchorage Alaska 2 March. Paul was an active member of our chapter and will be greatly missed. My deepest sympathy goes out to his family in their time of grief.We are hoping to have a group breakfast fly out to Creede (C24) 15 March weather permitting. Look for further notification on the chapters Group Me.For those of you who are back country enthusiasts the RAF www.raf.org will be having a work party at the Mexican Mountain airstrip west of Green River UT on 28 March.

The New Mexico Pilots Association https://nmpa.clubexpress.com will be having a weekend work party at Me-Own (1NM0) airstrip in the Gila Mountains 17-19 April. Registration is required but there is no fee and you will be fed two breakfasts and suppers. If you’ve never had a green chile bratwurst it’s your chance to try it!

While we are on the subject of back country strips there is one that should be on your must see list. Double Circle Ranch (AZ66) is a historical treasure. It sits on Eagle Creek west of Clifton AZ at 4863’. It is named for the two rock circles built by the ancients on a nearby hill. It was homesteaded in the 1870’s. History has it that the original rancher married one of Geronimo’s daughters. There is an old large cabin there that you are welcome to camp in. The strip is narrow but extremely smooth.You can get more information and a safety briefing on the Arizona Pilots Association website https://azpilots.org .

Remember if you enjoy flying to these special places you need to work to preserve them. Whether that is attending a work party, making public comments or supporting the organizations that work to keep them open.

Rob Flannery one of our active members was featured in the January/February edition of the Luscombe Courant. His award winning 8E graced the cover. There was also an interesting article about Rob. Congratulations! Try as I may I’m not computer savvy enough to attach the PDF to this newsletter.

The safety sideline: It’s been said that the propeller on an airplane is a big fan to keep the pilot cool, if you don’t believe it just watch the pilot sweat when it quits.Well all humor aside, having an engine failure is a major concern for pilots.We trained for it during basic instruction, have checklists for it and practiced them prior to our check ride.Now we fly other aircraft than the trainer and for most of us training was years ago. That leaves me to pose a few questions.

You probably have some glide information in your POH but have you tried to verify those numbers? When is the last time you, in your aircraft, did a power off engine out drill? Do you know how far you can glide from given elevations? Have you done this drill at say 4 miles out at 2000’ AGL and seen if you could make the runway? Tried other distances and elevations? Coming up short of the runway especially in our neck of the woods is usually a bad scenario with no options left. It might be better to land in a field or road closer to you. If you practice these drills you will have a greater feel for what is your true range and best option. Knowledge is power and it is said that in emergency situations we fall back on our training. The higher your training and confidence level in an emergency situation the more likely you are to have a good outcome.

As usual we will be holding our monthly meeting 18 March, the third Wednesday, at Del’s hanger 3. Social hour is at 18:00 and the meeting will commence at 19:00.The grille will be lit for your cooking pleasure. Paul Staby will be giving a hands on demonstration on soldering after the meeting. Hope to see you there!82D

Runway at AZ66

Late breaking news. The first prototype website should be live in the next 48 hours. If you want to check it out go to eeachapter997.com. Hopefully you can get a glimpse prior to the meeting. Remember it is a work in progress. Thanks Dana!