August 4, 2010
Volume 49
Number 08
Board Meeting:
August 4, 2010 6:30pm
General Meeting:
August 4, 2010 7:30pm
WWW.EAA124.ORG
WWW.CAFEFOUNDATION.ORG
EAA Chapter 124, 5550 Windsor Road, Windsor, CA 95492
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
August 4, 2010 Program: Those returning from Oshkosh AirVenture 2010 by the
meeting will give us a first rate, first hand report of their travel adventures and news
from the events and festivities.
Upcoming Events
July 26 to August 1st – Oshkosh AirVenture 2010!
August 13, 14, 15 – Boonville Airport Open House
August 14 – Gnoss Field 50th Anniversary
October 9 – Cloverdale Airport Open House and Fly-In
Saturdays – Chapter 1268 - Noon to 1:30pm BBQ at Sonoma Skypark
GOOD NEWS ON GETTING OIL
Royal Petroleum at 365 Todd Road has agreed to give our members a much reduced
price on oil, so you can buy it now when you need it. You must be a member of EAA
Chapter 124. (Take the Todd Road exit off of 101, and go west approximately ½ mile.)
Need your first EAA Chapter 124 name tag?
Need a replacement name tag?
Need to update your information on your old name tag?
See Meg Hurt at a meeting or call her at 544-1026.
Independent CFI's and California State Fees - Assembly Bill 48
By Art Thompson – Sterling Flight
(Submission by Larry Rengstorf – Thanks, Larry!)
On October 11, 2009 the California State Legislator passed Assembly Bill 48, The California Private
Postsecondary Act of 2009, and it was signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger. Many of you may
not know what this law requires, because we at Sterling Flight did not until the evening of June 7, 2010.
Assembly Bill 48 requires all California flight schools and independent CFI’s to meet the following
requirements:
•
•
•
Pay a $5,000 fee to apply with the State of California as a Private Postsecondary Educational
Institution. In future years we will have to pay a $1,000 renewal fee annually with a $3,500
renewal fee every three years
Pay 1% of our gross revenue (not profits) to the State of California for the honor of operating in
California (we already pay 2% of our gross revenue to Contra Costa County for the honor of
operating at Buchanan Field)
Get audited by the State of California to ensure that we have a 1:1 asset to liability ratio. Although
we haven’t determined how much this will cost us, we have heard estimates ranging upwards of
$30,000 annually
In addition to the monetary requirements listed above, Assembly Bill 48 also has many other requirements
that we must abide by. One such example of this is that all our instructors must have three years of
experience before they can be hired!
Failure to comply with Assembly Bill 48 by August 1, 2010 will result in a $50,000 fine.
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has provided a regulatory report that outlines the fees
and other onerous requirements required by Assembly Bill 48 which can be found by clicking here.
What we are doing
Over the past few weeks we have been in touch with NATA as well as other Flight Schools and CFI’s in
California, trying to figure out what we should be doing collectively and individually. As a result of the
unavoidable damage this bill will do to the aviation industry in California, NATA has hired a lobbyist in
Sacramento using funds donated by us as well as other members of our industry.
So far the combined efforts of NATA, our lobbyist, and letter writing campaigns have brought our concerns
to the attention of our state legislators, and they are currently amending Assembly Bill 1140 to provide a
one-year delay in the implementation of Assembly Bill 48 flight schools, which will allow the California
legislature to work with the flight training industry to understand more fully the issues with compliance
and develop a working long-term solution.
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What you can do
NATA has asked that all its members and others concerned about the outcome of this issue to contact their
Assemblyperson and State Senators and ask them for support of Assembly Bill 1140. The NATA has
provided a sample letter to send. You can get a copy of this sample letter at the front desk or by clicking
http://www.nata.aero/data/files/gia/ca_AB48/062810ab1140AC_ltr.doc. Address information for your
Assemblyperson and State Senator can be found at this address:
http://192.234.213.69/smapsearch/framepage.asp.
We are asking that you please fax your letters to your representative because it is imperative they receive
them this week! The California legislature goes on recess beginning July 2. Also, NATA has raised
$24,230.00 of the $35,000.00 they need through donations from independent CFI’s and businesses like
Sterling Flight, but they still need more.
Any donations to the cause would be greatly appreciated by everyone involved. If you would like to
donate please contact Mike France of NATA directly by email at [email protected].
If you have any questions regarding Assembly Bill 48 or any other matters, please feel free to contact me.
Art Thompson
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (925) 687-2850
Cell: (925) 260-7404
Fax: (925) 687-9268
The natural function of the wing is to soar upwards and carry that which is heavy
up to the place where dwells the race of Gods. More than any other thing that
pertains to the body, it partakes of the nature of the divine.
–
Plato, Phaedrus
For Sale: Bill Taylor, 707 953-1000, wants to sell the Christen Eagle project his
dad had. It has fuselage on gear with controls in, tail and assembled wings. All
plans included. Missing wobble pump, canopy and other parts. No engine, wires
or cowlings. $5000. This is a great opportunity for some member. Contact Bill.
Plane is in Petaluma for viewing.
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One of a Kind
By Remo Galeazzi (Thanks Remo, for your regular contributions!)
There has never been, or will there ever be, another Jim Smith. He was truly one of a kind.
I first met Jim in 1971, when at our monthly EAA meeting, I heard him say that he intended to build a
Marquart Charger. I, also, had been yearning to build a charger, but recognizing that I lacked certain skills,
such as welding, I was reluctant to take on such a formidable project. Jim came to my rescue, assuring me
that between the two of us, we could make it happen.
As the building progressed, I became more and more aware that my new friend was a perfectionist, and
that I could learn by emulating him and doing things his way. Jim had the ability to look at any mechanical
contrivance and figure out how it worked in minutes, and no doubt could visualize how he could have done
it better. Along with these abilities, he also had a refined sense of the esthetic. It didn't matter whether it
was remodeling a bathroom or making a fairing, the result was not only mechanically perfect, but pleasing
to the eye, and beautiful of line.
I always reminded Jim through the years, that without his help, I probably would have never completed my
Charger. He always replied that my conclusion wasn't true, but I know better. I'll never forget his interest
in helping me solve the myriad problems that are part and parcel of building an airplane from scratch, his
prodding when I became lax, and his praise when I did something right.
Anyone that was acquainted with Jim knows that he was a man with strong opinions. He didn't dawdle
around with a lot of maybes; with him, it was yes or no. You knew right away where he stood, and you
dealt with it from there. And he was, as we all know, a doer. Old times will remember that Jim did a
prodigious amount of work on our chapter hangars, and helped bring about many of the improvements that
we now enjoy. As the years rolled on and our chapter members started to build more airplanes, Jim was
always there to help them over the rough spots, and the continued to do so until his illness began to take
over his life.
I'm proud to say that he was my friend, and always felt a tinge of pride when he called me “buddy.” During
those later years while working on his Waco, we had many discussions concerning the changes we had
seen in our lifetimes, and I learned that Jim was more of a philosopher than he let on. I can tell you that
Jim was not afraid of life, and he wasn't afraid of death, and as his intimate friends know, he met both with
strength and gusto.
He was the last man to survive in his Smith family, an he told me long ago that he wanted the inscription
on his resting place to read, “The Last Leaf had Fallen.” His loving wife, Karlita, has taken care of this
wish, and that's what the stone will say. I know that even though the last leaf has fallen, the tree that
represents all those that enjoyed Jim's help and expertise, still stands tall. God Bless you, my friend, and
someday, in another cosmos, I'm confident that we'll be building together again.
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Taxi Safely
By Larry Rengstorf
(Thanks Larry!)
This week's talk is about taxiing safely - and smoothly.
It's a commonly overlooked subject, so think a moment about the essentials of getting to and from the
runway safely.
As we begin to taxi, you need to think about how much power you need to make the airplane move. I often
see people add a bunch of power even before releasing the brakes just sort of as a habit; just step on the gas
and see what we need. Most of the time, the airplane will roll away from the blocks at idle power or very
near idle power. So there's really no need to use any more power than necessary. You're just blowing
things around and you're making noise.
Then of course, we need to check the brakes shortly after we start to move. Just a smooth touch on the
brakes will be adequate to let you know that they're working.
My plan is to move the passengers if possible without them ever realizing they've left the blocks. I try to
move the airplane as smoothly as I can in all phases of flight. And one of the things you can do to smooth
out your taxiing is to work on your stopping technique. If we approach a stop with a lot of brakes on, as we
often do with our car, you'll get a fore and aft jerk as the airplane comes to a stop. If you can be slowly
releasing brake pressure as the airplane comes to a stop, you won't even feel that airplane stop. So now
next time you take a ride on an airliner, you can judge the airmanship of that captain and see how well he
or she stops the airplane. You'll notice a difference if you pay attention. And you can do the same thing
with your Cessna.
Another airmanship issue on taxi is using too much power. Many pilots have the power up, and they're
actually riding the brakes. So all they're doing is wasting fuel and wasting their brakes. Further, that heats
up the brakes so that they may not be available should they be needed for a high speed aborted takeoff or
some other serious taxi problem. So never use any more power than is necessary
EAA Chapter 124 Board Minutes, July 7, 2010
Minutes will be available at the August 4 meeting
EAA Chapter 124 General Member Minutes, July 7, 2010
Minutes will be available at the August 4 meeting
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FIRST CLASS MAIL
GENERAL MEETING: August 4, 2010
7:30 pm
EAA Chapter 124, 5550 Windsor Road, Windsor, CA 95492
Meeting is held on the first Wednesday of each month. Directions: The site is located on the west side of
Sonoma County Airport. Take the Shiloh Road exit from Highway 101 in northern Santa Rosa. Turn left at
the stop light (west) and continue to a “T” intersection. Turn left again and follow the road to the EAA sign
on the left. FOOD ($5) AND SOCIALIZING (free) from 6:30 to 7:30pm. EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
August 4, 2010 PROGRAM - Those returning from Oshkosh AirVenture 2010 by the
meeting will give us a first rate, first hand report of their travel adventures and news from
the events and festivities.
Members are invited to submit articles of interest.
article will appear in the current issue.)
(You will be notified whether or not an
Please email them to: [email protected]
Mail to:
John Palmerlee
1209 Hexem Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Deadline for the newsletter is the 20th of each month. Articles submitted after that date will be
included in the newsletter at the discretion of the editor. All articles are copyrighted. To reproduce
any article, please contact the editor.
EAA CHAPTER 124 is not responsible for any modification or maintenance items appearing in the
newsletter or in any other correspondence. It is the responsibility of the reader to get approval for
such items from the appropriate A&P, FAA or other government official.
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