AircraftOwner Online

Pundits are calling it the "Silver Tsunami." It's the graying of the American work force. Today, 19% of American workers are age 55 or older. By 2016, that number will climb to 25%, according to a recent survey by the independent Pew Research Group. America's most numerous generation, Baby Boomers are pushing retirement back and working longer. The reasons are numerous:

 

• Better healthcare has extended the average U.S. lifespan to 78, and many Americans are living into their 80s (the country's fastest growing demographic) and even 90s.
• Many retirees bored with retirement are returning to work part-time and even full-time or are seeking second careers.
• Loss of retirement investment value and savings during the recent recession has forced many older Americans to push retirement back by a number of years. They simply can't afford to quit working.

With fewer young workers moving up from the next generation to replace aging workers, businesses can't afford to lose the experience and knowledge older workers bring to the table. Adopting ergonomic practices and utilizing ergonomic equipment will be key to accommodating America's aging work force and essential to avoiding age-discrimination suits.

As bodies age they lose strength and flexibility. Ergonomically-designed equipment like Lindy's AircraftCaddys is designed to remove physical effort from common tasks such as transporting aircraft at airports, FBO, corporate and private air fields and ground operations. Like all carefully designed ergonomic equipment, Lindy's aircraft tugs and plane tows reduce the risk of injury that can occur while performing pushing, pulling, lifting and transporting tasks.

Lindy's aircraft tows and aircraft tractors allow a single individual to easily move aircraft up to 35,000 pounds. Ergonomic design eliminates back aches and muscle strains that can injure and disable airline and FBO workers of any age and particularly older workers. Lindy's ergonomically designed airplane tugs allows older workers to perform ground control tasks with the same ease as younger, stronger, more agile workers.

"Recession Is Over" headlines blared last week. After analyzing key economic data for August, the nation's top economists assigned the most severe recession since the Great Depression to history. A 12.8% annual increase in the index of leading indicators over the past three months led economic analysts to proclaim that the "contraction" has ended. For the first time in 19 months manufacturing indicators rose, led by a surge of new orders. August also saw a slowdown in the job-loss rate, although unemployment continued to rise in about half of the country's major metropolitan areas.

However, pronouncements of the recession's end were quickly tempered by cautionary statements that recovery will take time, possibly years. And don't expect things to return to the way they were. The depth of the recession and the unsustainability of the inflated economy that preceded it are forcing America to recalibrate. No one's sure what the new "normal" will look like, but changes are coming.

So what does this mean for the aviation industry? With money tight, savings decimated and jobs on the line, Americans have been traveling less. In August, American Airlines reported an 8.1% decrease in traffic, and United's traffic was down 5.8%. As demand has declined, major carriers have reduced seat capacity. In August, American’s capacity dropped 9.4%; United’s fell 8.9%. International carriers which draw from a greater passenger pool have experienced less loss. Continental Airlines reported a 3.9% decline in August traffic resulting in a 6% reduction in seat capacity.

On the plus side, offering passengers fewer flight choices has increased load factors, or number of filled seats per plane, allowing major carriers to operate more efficiently. American's load factor rose from 83.5% to 84.7%, and United's load factor increased from 84.3% to 87.2% over the past year. Continental reported record load factors.

Ergonomic design is one of the features that sets Lindy's aircraft tugs above the competition. Ergonomics is the science of fitting the equipment to the person, not forcing the person to contort his body into uncomfortable positions to operate the equipment. Most equipment is built as one size fits all. But we all know that people come in all shapes and sizes: tall and short, fat and thin, muscle-bound and average Joe or Jill. Ergonomic design is the great equalizer. Ergonomics makes it possible for a 24-year-old, weightlifting stud and a feisty, 55-year-old grandmother to operate the same motor-powered aircraft tow with equal ease. Ergonomics takes physical size and ability out of the work equation.

Ergonomics was developed to minimize the overexertion and cumulative trauma that often occur during manual lifting, pushing, pulling and, stretching tasks, such as stacking heavy airplanes in a hangar or moving them onto the flight line. Particularly when such tasks must be performed repeatedly, damage to soft muscle tissues especially of the back and shoulders can occur. When the burden of maneuvering heavy airplanes is shifted from the operator to the material handling equipment, as it is in the ergonomic design of Lindy's aircraft tractor, inappropriate exertion is eliminated and the risk of musculoskeletal injury is significantly reduced.

With pilots getting older, that's something to consider. The average age of active pilots was 52 in 2000, and more than 63,000 pilots over the age of 60 hold current medical certificates, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association website. Some pilots are still going strong into their 90s! While age doesn't affect their ability to pilot a plane, it probably affects their ability to move one without injuring themselves. The ergonomic design of Lindy's aircraft tugs decreases the chance of that happening.

Lindy's ergonomically-designed, walk-behind ;aircraft tugs are a safe alternative to gas-powered lawn-mower drive aircraft movers. As noted in our August 14 post, on a recent trip to Alaska, tugs were much in evidence at Anchorage's Ted Stevens International Airport. The world's third busiest shipping hub (after Atlanta and Hong Kong), Anchorage buzzed with tugs in constant motion towing small and mid-sized planes around the tarmac, to and from hangers, and into position on runways. Tugs competed with other planes, ground crews and equipment, and waiting passengers for space. The volume of people and equipment sharing the same small space seemed a recipe for disaster. It was the perfect application for Lindy's aircraft tugs; here's why:

• Lindy's aircraft tugs are compactly designed for quick and easy maneuverability in tight spaces. Stacking is faster and easier with Lindy's tugs than with conventional, bulky rider tugs.
• Lindy's battery-operated aircraft tugs are designed for quiet operation, diminishing hanger/tarmac noise, ensuring that operators have full use of all senses, including hearing, for maximum safety.
• Lindy's aircraft tugs are ergonomically designed to be operated by a single individual without stress or strain, protecting the health and safety of employees and allowing maximum use of personnel. One-man design makes them a perfect solution for individual owners, corporations and small FBOs.
• Lindy's walk-behind tugs are less costly than rider tugs, making them affordable for use as hanger equipment or secondary tugs when rider tugs are in use. Affordability and one-person handling makes Lindy's tugs the perfect solution for individual owners, corporations, private airstrips and smaller FBOs.
• Lindy's aircraft tugs place the nose wheel of the aircraft over the center point of the tug's drive wheels, creating better traction in Alaska's difficult weather conditions.

For more information on Lindy's Aircraft Tugs, visit our website.

Flying gives us many privileges like seeing the world from above a cloud deck and incredible freedom to leave on a moment’s notice to head almost wherever we want. Being a physician and an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) adds another dimension to aviation. Not only do I meet pilots through the normal airport channels, I also meet many though their application for their medical certificate. Because I help with problem medicals, I also meet many pilots who are pursuing special issuances from outside our local airport community.

Pilots are truly an extraordinary lot. They come from all walks of life--from those who scrape together money for rental aircraft to those whose only scrapping comes with the sticker on a new credit card. What pilots have in common is the love of flight, the smell of gas and oil, and for most, the turn of a wrench. 

What other group can you find in the same room liberals, conservatives, Republicans, Democrats, environmentalist, oil executives, heterosexuals, homosexuals, men and women, and all of them mad at the same organization (the TSA of course)?

The pilot community is a unique group. Helpful and generous to a fault but argumentative like you would not believe: “What do you mean, you have never flown lean of peak!” But the thing that scares the airline pilot and student pilot alike is the fear of losing their medical certificate.

There are four major factors that affect longevity and they happened to be the same as the ones which affect your medical status. The most important is the one you cannot change--heredity. The classic answer to patients who ask what they can do to live longer is still the same—“keep your parents alive!”
The three remaining factors are ones we can modify. If you use tobacco in any form, ceasing its use is the number one thing you can do to extend your life and you flying privileges. The next two factors we all can work on—keeping our weight down and regular daily exercise. These are tough tasks for pilots who are normally seated during their vocation, avocation, and/or the most pleasant times of their days.

Do not talk to me about your stinking cholesterol.  It is a minor league player in the longevity scheme of things but made much more visible by the opportunistic pharmaceutical industry. If you could take a pill called exercise, the pharmaceutical companies would have you remembering cholesterol like you remember smallpox. Exercise is the most important thing a person can do to keep their medical and to stay alive.

Exercise is defined from a medical perspective as keeping your heart rate in the target zone for 30 minutes every day. The target zone is calculated by taking 220 minus your age and multiplying by .7. Thus for a 50 year old, that number would be 119 (220-50 x .7=119). The important point is the target heart rate is sustained heart rate so activities like tennis will not count since you stop for serves and your heart rate drops. This does not mean tennis is not good exercise. It just is not as good from a cardiovascular point of view as sustained heart rate.

Heart rate is the end point and it does not make any difference how you get there so you can walk up a hill one day, bike the next, swim the next, use a stair climber the next, or whatever, as long as your heart rate is at or above the target continuously for 30 minutes, you will be in much better health for much longer which equates to more renewals of you medical certificate.
The same goes for your weight. In fact, if you do not increase your eating when you start the exercise above, you will lose a half to one pound a week. Add that to some caloric restriction and you will lose even more.

Weight is related to two things—calories “in” and calories “out.” Calories “in” are what your eat and calories “out” are what you expend with exercise and other activity. You cannot gain weight unless you eat more than you expend no matter how many times you say “I don’t eat anything!” Remember, everything you eat counts. From a weight perspective, it does not mean a thing that the caloric content is organic or low fat. In fact, many of the sugar free or fat free stuff on the highly marketed grocery shelves have more calories than the same food with sugar or fat. Read the labels. Just remember, soft drinks (including sports drinks) are liquid candy bars and protein bars are just expensive candy bars!

I value the pilot population and I have lost too many aviation friends to health issues. I can help you with your medical but more importantly, I want you to work on these three risk factors to stay alive. Getting your medical renewed is one thing. Being alive to keep the appointment is another!

    It is interesting all the hullaboo about the 2 NW pilots. In the early 70's, I was working traffic late one night in Chicago when AA50 on J64? PWE,LMN,BDF,JOT,GSH?, FWA? was switch over to me. On the mid shift, somewhere west of BDF I, we usually gave them the short cut, BDF, SBN, CRL on course. I called 3 or 4 times, he never responded, so he went the long way.  It was late at night.  It wasn’t that important.  They made the turn NE at BDF to JOT, but at JOT he did not make the turn back east. I quickly pointed him out to SBN High and MKE High. SBN pointed him out to PMM and CLE. MKE high pointed him out to MSP.  I am sure one of them pointed him out to Toronto.  The last time I saw him he went off my scope NE bound into Canadian airspace. I guess they figured out what was going on sometime. I never heard of a crash.  A few people over the years asked, why I did not file a violation against them.  I expect when those guys came to their senses and could not contact anyone, because they were still on my frequency hundreds of miles away, had no idea where they were or what VOR to tune and the lights on the ground surely were strange, that they, not a one of them, ever nodded off again in the rest of their entire career.  I am sure I got 3 more alert pilots for the rest of their careers by not saying anything than the whole FAA apparatus will ever get by this violation and revocation
    There was at least two incidences of  UA or someone else going west into SFO and east into NY, they ended up out over the Pacific or the Atlantic. Actually both of these excursions happened, I just forget who the carriers were. Then there was the AK C130 that overflew BRW on into the Beaufort Sea or the flight from Cairo to Mombasa that kind of returned to Cairo when waypoint 9 arrive in the INS and the airplane turned around to go to 1 in the middle of one dark night in northeastern Africa
    It is funny they are making such a deal of the MSP one, when there are the above four or five I know of that no one said a thing about.  I am sure that there are just as many more that a bunch of others have experienced and know of  that were brought to a happy ending and a very interesting and full career without the authorities being more holly than thou.

I was at AOPA's summit last week. to tell the truth, the attendance was a little dissapointing. Technology in the cockpit is still the big focus. One of the On Line Fourms that they held- right in the middle of the show floor- was on the subject of technolgically advanced cockpits, vs. accidents associated with having the advanced technology in the cockpit. Sound familiar? The discussion was right on the mark. AOPA's safety foundation has identified the same trends that those of us who are out flying as instructors are seeing every day. You have to LOVE the technology. When I started flying, ( in 1980) the hottest movie of the summer was Alien. In that flick, Segourney Weeaver lands a spaceship on a far away planet using a landing system that has her flying through a series of rectangles on a CRT that is displaying the surface of the planet. Does that sound remarkably like the Hiway int he Sky on the new Garmin G1000 systems? It's taken 29 years for sience fiction to become reality, but now we have it on our GA airplanes. Some of the new systems have FMS like keyboards that reduce knob twisting for route inputing and radio frequecy selction is automatic. But all of this comes at a cost. Not just in dollars but in complexity. I flew today with a gentlmen who owns a brand new Mooney Acclaim Type S. He told me he always flys an approach with the autopiolt coupled, never ever by hand. When I asked him what he would do if the technology failed he said it hadn't yet. When I asked if he did any training with the aircraft in a "Black Tube" configuration, that is a PFD and an MFD failure, he said he hadn't but was planning to learn to use the "stand by" instruments.
So I want to know. How many pilots are flying glass panels and are you triaining regularly for the posssiblility of a technology failure?  If you are an instructor, tell me what you are doing to teach your students what to do when the lights go out.

Michael Leighton

Many buyers seem to believe that they can avoid sales tax by forming a corporation, usually in Delaware, and having the corporation take title to the aircraft. The bad news is that this does not protect you from sales tax. The even worse news is that it may also cause your aircraft registration to be invalid, your aircraft being required to be operated under Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, and Federal Excise Tax being due on trips you make in the aircraft.

    As the states have been getting less and less income, they have tended to focus on unpaid sales taxes as a source for getting quick infusions of cash. The best place for the states to look is at “big-ticket” items, like aircraft and yachts. With advances in technology, it is easier than ever before for the states to find out when an aircraft has changed hands. In fact, the FAA actually sends each state a listing of the aircraft registered each month with addresses in that state.

    Since the Revenue Departments of the states are aware that aircraft may be registered in a state for the sole purpose of avoiding sales tax in the state where the aircraft is actually based, each state has composed teams of inspectors whose job is to go from airport to airport, and from fly-in community to fly-in community, logging aircraft that are on the ramp and in hangars. Some states, like Florida, if they see the same aircraft at the same airport on more than one visit simply presume that the aircraft is based at that airport and send a tax bill for “use tax’ (which is often the same amount as the sales tax would have been) and put the burden on the registered owner to prove that the aircraft is actually based out of state.

    The states also place substantial penalties on the failure to have paid taxes on a timely basis, so, in addition to the time, aggravation and expense of satisfying the state’s official inquiries, you are at risk for large penalties and interest payments if the state determines that you deliberately failed to pay the tax that was due.

    Many aircraft owners also feel that they can be protected from taxes by the corporate form of owner-ship. However, the owner of the corporation must be able to show that the corporation has some actual corporate purpose to benefit from the corporate veil. More importantly, the FAA has a different way of looking at corporate ownership of an aircraft. The FAA says that unless the corporation that owns the aircraft has a real business purpose other than just owning and operating the aircraft, such that the use of the aircraft is merely “incidental” to the business of the company, the company is actually engaging in the “commercial” use of the aircraft since it is serving no other purpose other than providing transportation by air to members of the corporation. Therefore, the FAA argues, the aircraft must be operated pursuant to the requirements of Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, and each failure on your part to comply with the requirements of Part 135, can subject you to a “civil penalty” in the amount of up to $11,000.00 per violation.

    The FAA also has a strict “citizenship test” which it uses for corporations. Unless the President of the corporation, AND at least two-thirds of the other officers and directors, AND at least 75% of the shareholders of the corporation are United States citizens, the corporation will NOT be deemed to be a “citizen” for registration purposes, and the FAA, DOT and Customs will all deem the N registration of your aircraft to be illegal, which can result in seizure and forfeiture of your aircraft, large fines, and even the possibility of jail time.

    There are ways to minimize the exposure to sales taxes, but they require complex planning prior to the closing of the sale. For most general aviation transactions, the most cost-effective thing to do is to find out what the taxes are and to pay them when they are due, rather than to try to avoid or minimize them. If a substantial amount of savings might be due, then consulting a good aviation attorney or accountant might be a very wise investment. But you should do this when you START the process of buying an aircraft, NOT when you are a day or two away from closing, as the process of minimizing these taxes is complicated and takes time.

 

Water 2800 ft x 100    Now what more can you ask for. 

we have owned our 63 x 60 ft hangar two years and now we enjoy our new home sitting right on the main runway with a magnificent view of Hatcher Pass mountains.  A great room concept for lots of pilot get togethers ….just the right size to welcome a steady stream of visitors.

This airpark is located in one of the fastest growing areas of Alaska.  Properties are of varied shapes and sizes ranging in value from $150,000 to over $800,000….From beautiful customs to wonderful home/hangar combos perfect for those who want lots of time to fly and play… they don’t call this the last frontier for nothing…..just moments away from true wilderness experiences….Prince William Sound to Mt McKinley for your pleasure….fishing, hunting, and sightseeing indescribable ….come see it for yourself….





Late September,  there is new white stuff on the mountain tops, it’s called “termination dust”….it’s time to terminate our Alaska stay and head off for another “high adventure”  Button up the house, load the hangar with friends airplanes for the winter, load the red and white 185 with survival gear, wing and cowl covers, a few snacks, put the dog in the back 



                                                                                                                                 and head south.  22 hours flight time, normally 3 days and two nights enroute over some of the most magnificent country you can possibly imagine.  Snow covered mountain tops, mammoth glaciers, winding rivers, endless forests.  Catch a glimpse of mountain sheep, moose, caribou, bear, and even an occasional other aircraft traveling south.

 

The desert looks pretty good about the third day….time to stretch and examine our Arizona home after the summers absence.  Perfect temperature in the 80’s…clear blue skies….they call us Snow Birds or Summer Chickens……finding the best of both worlds, avoiding the snow of winter and the heat of summer…..Eagle Roost Airpark ….25 miles west of Wickenburg.  Eagle Roost 27AZ  Aguila, Arizona, privately owned, runway 17/35 asphalt /3600x50  lights/  elevation 2200 ft all taxiways paved, Minimum parcel size 4 acres properties ranging is value from $125,000 to $1,350,000.  The home we enjoy here is Santa Fe architecture with wonderful verandas for this near perfect weather located on five acres, the 75x55  hangar is Gordon’s delight ….with lots of projects, a gun room, a guest room, private office and full bath…you can find a pilot session out there most days…. It’s a great life to be able to walk from your home to your hangar with a cup of coffee and it’s still hot when you get there…

 

How do we keep busy…..Gordon is a retired TWA captain, finally with time to play with his projects, rebuilding a 1957 Cessna 182, reloading shotgun shells for the fun quail and dove hunting  with in two miles of our house.  Rebuilding a few cars and keeping up with the “rolling stock”  there aren’t enough hours in the day…not to mention the hangar sessions with other airpark residents….  Cooper the dog demands a bit of that time too…

Don’t try to escape in the jeep without him….he loves the bird hunting and has the entire five acres with underground fence so he is a free spirit day in and day out….

 

Marti, a retired State Farm agent, with energy to spare and the love of client contact so why not reactivate a real estate license and specialize in Aviation Property….never expecting to have so much fun…and so much activity….as an airpark resident and an active pilot, what could be more natural…call about a property and the first question you will be asked is “what kind of airplane do you fly”….what a great way to meet fantastic people….

 

Two wonderful ways of life and many of our neighbors in Arizona are our neighbors in Alaska….also enjoying the AAA experience…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tears are an integral part of vision. When eyes get dry, vision worsens. This is an obviously important concept for pilots especially making an approach after a long flight.
 
Dry eyes have many causes but the one most common in aviation is altitude. As we ascend, the relative humidity decreases and our eyes tend to dry out. This occurs in unpressurized aircraft and even more in pressurized aircraft since pressurization removes water vapor. As our tears dry out, their coating over the cornea of the eye changes which affects our vision. This coating is an integral part of our eye’s focusing system.
 
Tears are composed of three substances­oil, water, and mucous. The outer layer is an oily one that is secreted by meibomian glands which are located on the edge of your eyelids. These are the glands that cause styes when they get plugged up. The water layer is from the lacrimal glands and is the middle, thicker layer of the tear. The bottom layer which spreads the tear evenly across the eye is the mucus layer.
 
Decreased humidity will cause evaporation of the water and mucous layer which then will affect vision. Certain medications will increase the dryness such as birth control pills, diuretics and ACE inhibitors used to treat blood pressure, and antihistamines/decongestants. Underlying conditions can also increase dryness such as being over 40 (Is that a condition!?), menopause, arthritis, diabetes, and Vitamin A deficiency. Previous Lasik eye surgery can also cause dryness.
 
There are ways to help prevent dry eyes and the visual changes associated with dry eyes. Staying hydrated is very important not only for dry eyes but a multitude of reasons. Also, avoid rubbing the eyes as this can irritate the lacrimal glands and decrease their output of the watery portion of the tear.
 
Flax seed oil, in capsules or liquid, when taken on a regular basis, can also increase eye lubrication. Omega 3 oils in supplements and fish like salmon will also help increase production of the oil component of the tear but it must be an ongoing part of ones diet.
 
Regardless of prevention, on long flights eyes will get dry. I keep a supply of artificial tears in the plane and will put them in my eyes about 15 minutes before descent to make sure my vision is the best it can be (although it does take away one of my excuses for hard landings). I prefer the unit dose artificial tears because they do not have preservatives and avoid the contamination that can occur with multidose bottles.
 
Do not use Visine or other constricting eye drops (e.g. get the red out). These are bad for your eyes in general and actual make the eye drier by causing constriction of blood vessels.
 
While we are on the subject of eyes, sun protection should be mandatory for all pilots and passengers. There are multiple brands and lots of personal choices but the major importance is protection from ultraviolet radiation. This is not just a comfort issue but can protect the eye from developing cataracts which can be promoted by bright sunlight. Sunglasses should be marked as filtering 99% of ultraviolet radiation.
 
Polarizing sunglasses are not particularly good for pilots because they cause difficulty with certain types of displays. If you are looking for a cheap but good quality lenses (and there are lots of bad quality lenses out there), American made safety work glasses sold in hardware stores are the best value out there. Make sure to look for American made because the foreign made lenses are not reliable.
 
You can judge the quality of a lens by looking at something square like a ceiling tile. Close one eye and hold the lens out from the open eye. Move the lens slowly up and down and side to side. Good lenses will keep the square’s borders straight. If the line moves or gets wavy during the motion, look for another pair.