AircraftOwner Online

    Of late, I am being increasingly convinced that we need to do more squawking -- while we still can.   

    I’m not talking about transponder squawking, I’m talking about political type squawking in defense of General Aviation.  

    In my last blog I wrote about the Ross Lake issue where the some elements are trying to ban seaplanes from a National Recreation Area.  Of course, they want to keep the whole place open for jet skis, power boats and every other type of activity you can imagine – except for seaplanes. Not to mention that the recreation area was conceived by a guy who had a lodge there served primarily be seaplanes to begin with!  The comment period on this rule closed now but there are more issues including TTF, which you can still chime in on.  

    The TTF [Through The Fence] issue realtes to local airports which receive Federal Funds.  Residential Through-the-Fence (rTTF) agreements are situations where hangar homes on private property are connected to airports via taxiways.  Hangar home owners support the adjacent airports for this access with fees and purchased services.

    If you want to fix your low blood pressure, go to Dr. Brent Blue’s Web site on the subject: www.ThroughTheFence.org.  After you read the completely ridiculous position taken by certain management types inside the FAA you will be amazed.  

    Brent was invited to testify mid-month before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on “Residential Through-the-Fence Agreements at Public Airports: Action to Date and Challenges Ahead.”  Amongst man other comments, using Freedom of Information Act requests, Brent proved that the FAA does not have even one documented noise complaint from a hangar home for the past ten years nor has any example of a single airport that has had difficulty expanding due to rTTF agreements.   

    Brent is spot-on when he says: “This is a FAA fix to a problem that does not exist. The FAA personnel who came up with this policy had not even seen a hangar home till this past winter. Their lack of evidence and data is shocking given they are establishing a policy that affects the economic viability of small general aviation airports.”  

    I urge you to read Brent’s testimony in front of the House Transportation Committee earlier this month. You can read it by clicking on the link: Brent Blue TTF Hearing. It’s absolutely fabulous.  

    There is still opportunity to comment on the FAA’s TTF position at they have posted their proposed revised policy on residential “through the fence”  (TTF) agreements at GA airports.  The short version is that they propose allowing all current agreements but no new ones after the effective date of the policy (which is not set at this time).  

    In January, the FAA initiated a review due to our input as well as the input of the EAA and other groups.  (The AOPA dropped the ball completely.)   As a result, the Agency is proposing to amend its policy regarding access to airports from residential property and Grant Assurance 5, Preserving Rights and Powers.   

    The proposed policy is Docket No. FAA-2010-0831 and is now on display at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-22095.pdf. This document was published in the September 9, 2010 Federal Register.  Please comment on the proposed policy through www.regulations.gov. All comments received by the FAA will be posted at www.regulations.gov.  Comments will be accepted for 45 days from the date the notice was published in the Federal Register which should be October 22^nd.  

    If we don’t start squawking politically, we soon won’t have to worry about squawking our transponders as they are hell-bent on chipping away at GA as we know it today. The best defense is a good offense and we are behind right now!

Maybe you’re married, have kids, and consider 20 minutes of free time a vacation. Perhaps a recent operation or medical condition has you worried whether you’re fit to fly. Or, maybe the dust on your logbook triggers anxious thoughts of policies and procedures that have changed and now must be relearned.

These are all understandable reasons for a pilot to hang up the headset for a while, but they don’t have to mean a permanent grounding. If the flying flame still flickers within, the opportunity to soar once again is yours for the taking. You may be surprised how easy it can be to get started again. With a solid plan and determination, along with the benefits of some exciting developments, you can easily shake off that rust and get back to enjoying the freedom only flying can offer.

Your first question is likely: With so many changes to consider, how do I even get started? There’s no doubt getting back into flying after a long break can be daunting. I know. Last September marked my first flight since…let’s just say my sectionals still depicted a magenta-checkered ARSA pattern around my home airport, Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP). Looking through my old flight bag made me feel like Rip Van Winkle waking up from a nap (thankfully, without the white hair). I had my work cut out for me, but I knew it would not be long before I could return to the skies.

A Personal Preflight Check

Whether it’s been decades or just a couple of years, the best way to get back in the game is to start with a plan. Begin by exploring why you stopped flying. I highlighted a few reasons earlier, but among the most common relate to time, money, and medical issues.

Ask yourself what it is that’s drawing you back. Are you returning to complete an unfinished rating? Maybe there are career or volunteer opportunities calling your name. Or, perhaps you simply would like to enjoy the freedom of flight once again. Depending on how long it’s been since you’ve flown, you may be unaware of some changes that could make the prospect of returning to flight less overwhelming than you think. Let’s take a look at some scenarios to see how they might apply to your situation.

Medical Policy Makeovers

The first step for many returning pilots is an assessment of personal health and fitness. According to Dr. Warren Silberman, manager of FAA’s Aerospace Medical Certification Division, there have been many favorable changes in the last 15 years to help pilots retain a current medical certificate. “What may have been disqualifying ‘show-stoppers’ years earlier may now be acceptable with revised waiver and special-issuance guidelines,” says Silberman.

Among the conditions that are no longer automatic disqualifiers are high blood pressure, cardiac conditions, as well as insulin-dependent diabetes. The FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine now permits special-issuance medical certificates for airmen who are being treated with certain anti-depressant medication. The impact of this change is substantial, as it could affect hundreds of thousands of pilots currently diagnosed with mild to moderate depression.

When meeting with your Aviation Medical Examiner (AME), be upfront and honest about any medications you are taking or any changes to your health. It’s also a good idea to work with a physician before your medical to try to resolve any issues, as well as gather the necessary documentation your AME will need to process your case. According to Dr. Silberman, only 0.1 percent of airmen have their applications denied.

Of those, a majority of the denials are due to a lack of proper documentation. He says most applicants eventually go on to get a medical. To get more information on disqualifying medical conditions, contact your local AME or go to the medical certification section of www.faa.gov.

Lighten Your Load

A big change that opened doors for more pilots to regain the freedom and fun of personal flying was the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft (SP/LSA) rule, implemented in 2004. Under this rule, pilots may operate aircraft that fall within certain reduced weight and speed parameters, and are required only to have a valid U.S. driver’s license to validate medical fitness. One caveat, however: If you previously held a medical certificate, your most recent certificate must not have been denied, revoked, or suspended.

One aspect of SP/LSA is that it offers those watching their pennies a more affordable option to return to flight. Many LSA aircraft, like the new Cessna Skycatcher, can be rented wet for under a $100 an hour. You’ll save on gas, too, as they typically burn 3-5 gallons per hour, much less gas than a standard single-engine trainer. If you already have a private-pilot certificate, you can legally fly an LSA provided you are current and it is in the same category you’re checked out in. An important safety precaution: LSAs can have different handling characteristics so it’s a good idea to get checked out with an instructor first.

Relearn Your ABCs

An important task for anyone returning to flying is getting up to speed on regulatory changes. “Whether you’ve been out for 20
years, or just two, you’ll want to brush up on your airspace knowledge,” says Tom Adams, chief flight instructor at Dulles
Aviation, Inc., an FBO and flight school at Virginia’s Manassas Regional Airport (KHEF). “Squawking 1200 in the wrong area may invite some unwanted guests.” To avoid any visits from your local F-16 fighter squadron, be sure to study up on airspace changes, especially in areas like Washington, D.C. that have adopted a permanent Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) and Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ). An online training course on www.FAASafety.gov is now required to fly under VFR in the DC SFRA.

There’s also the matter of Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR), which, since September 11, 2001, are used routinely to restrict airspace for 30 miles for presidential visits or world-leader meetings, such as the G8 Summit. TFRs can pop up unexpectedly so before any flight, be sure to research NOTAMs and check the FAA TFR list (http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html) for updates.

Now, for those who recall Ronald Reagan or George H. W. Bush as being in office during your last flight, you’ll need to take time to review the changes that resulted from the FAA’s reclassification of the U.S. airspace system in 1993. The changes removed terms like TCAs and control zones, and replaced them with the ICAO-compliant titles that range from Class A to Class G airspace. For more information, see chapter 3 of the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) or chapter 14 of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. As far as regulations go, Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 61 went through some significant changes as well over the years, including:

• Changes to duration of medical certificates for pilots under 40 (61.23)

• Tailwheel aircraft endorsement requirement (61.31)

• Logging of PIC time (61.51)

• Changes to instrument currency and rating requirements (61.57, 61.65)

Some proposed changes to 14 CFR part 61 to be on the lookout for include replacing the 10 hours of complex time required for a commercial certificate with 10 hours of advanced instrument training as well as allowing student pilots to train and apply for a private pilot certificate and instrument rating concurrently.

Fill the Right Seat with the Right Person

Successful reentry to flying requires the guidance of a good instructor; don’t overlook this important step. Find an instructor who understands your situation and is willing to take extra time to help you get back in your game. Be clear about your intentions and work together to set attainable training goals. Since you may have a lot of ground to cover, don’t be afraid to ask questions or request a review of any segments of flying you feel out of touch with, like stalls or steep turns.

When it’s time to start flying, don’t be too hard on yourself if you seem a bit out of form. My first landing after my long absence was a greaser, but on the next try, I bounced around worse than a bull rider. A few bumps can be hard to swallow, but that’s to be expected when such a highly coordinated skill is put on hold for a while. The key: Remain patient and keep at it.

A good exercise to help get you primed before you even flick the master and turn the key is to spend some extra time with your pre-flight check. Follow your aircraft’s checklist carefully. Spend some time in the left seat reviewing instrument and comm/nav switch locations, especially since some pilots might be in for quite a surprise once they climb in the cockpit.

This is because steadily replacing the classic “six pack” of basic instruments are shiny new glass-panel displays that host a suite of new features, which is made possible by the advent of GPS technology. If this is completely unfamiliar to you, consider getting your “air” legs before tackling a Garmin 1000. Better yet, make unlocking the benefits of GPS a fun incentive for you to continue with your flying.

Flight Review and Done?

It’s been said that a pilot certificate is a license to learn, and whether you’re an active pilot or one on hiatus, this couldn’t be more accurate. Much like a checkride for a new rating, a flight review shouldn’t mark the end of your learning process.

“Don’t be content with just passing your flight review,” says Dan Williams, a Maryland-area private pilot who is familiar with returning to flying after a few dry spells. “Make an effort to expand and test your knowledge in all areas. And, if you’re not asked to do it on your check, ask for it to be reviewed. This will help you feel more confident when you’re on your own again.”

Staying proficient on the ground is important, too. This is where FAA’s WINGS pilot proficiency program can help. Designed to help encourage a commitment to safety education, the program has attracted more than 48,000 airmen who can earn credits by completing online courses and attending safety seminars. Those who achieve the basic phase will get credit for the flight review requirements covered in 14 CFR part 61.

I’m in a Holding Pattern and Can’t Get Out!

Was this article about you—with a burning desire to get back in the cockpit, but in a current holding pattern due to family and/or career commitments? That’s okay. While the timing might not be ideal now, that could soon change. The key is to maintain the interest and enthusiasm in flying by keeping up with aviation news and training, whether through periodicals, like this one, and/or aviation Web sites, such as www.FAASafety.gov and www.aopa.org. You can also attend local air shows or fly-ins, perhaps to lend some time and expertise as a volunteer. Check with your state aviation authority for events in your area. Staying involved and immersed in aviation in whatever capacity possible will be the next best thing to being airborne and it’ll keep your engine primed for when you return. Don’t worry, the sky is waiting!

Tom Hoffmann is associate editor of FAA Safety Briefing. He is a commercial pilot and holds an A&P certificate

Fall is a good time to travel. The daily worry of summer thunderstorms has faded; winter weather is still in the future for much of the country. You may have children who are back in school and work has yet to pick up. With newfound freedom, where do you want to go?

Like any proficient pilot, you know you can’t just hop in the airplane and take off. The amount of preparation varies depending on where you’re going and how familiar you are with the trip. It’s not unlike getting into your car for a run to the grocery store. You probably don’t get on Google™ or MapQuest® for directions. It can be similar in an airplane when you are traversing a familiar route. I used to make a Florida “milk run” flight between Melbourne and Lakeland, which are about 80 miles apart. Because it was not far, but even more because it was familiar, the planning was not much more elaborate than calling Flight Service for a briefing and filing a VFR flight plan.

While you don’t need a lot of planning to do a few touch-and-go landings or to hop over to a nearby airport for the fabled “$100 hamburger,” you do need to invest more time in planning for a real cross-country flight. If you have never made a long-distance flight, or if your flight-planning skills for such an endeavor are a bit rusty, this article is for you.

Break the Flight into Bites

Where do you start? There is no single correct answer, but some pilots start with a large-scale planning chart. Others might find a mapping program, such as Google maps, more helpful. I’ve always liked using the freely available DUATS programs (www.duat.com or www.duats.com ) to plot a great circle line between my proposed departure and arrival points. If you’re an AOPA member, you can use its flight planning tools online at: www.aopa.org/flight_planner/. The point is to start with the big- picture view, just as you do when getting weather information.

The “direct-to” line gives you a great starting point, but now comes the task of making adjustments. First, break the direct-to line into bits and bites that you and your airplane can comfortably “chew.” The size of each “flight bite” depends on your airplane’s range and the physiological range of its occupants, but a good rule of thumb for many light GA airplanes is 200-300 miles. Use a plotter or an online measurement tool to measure and mark the segments. The next step is to analyze each segment. The great-circle route a flight-planning program draws for you will rarely be practical across its entire length.

Here are some of the factors to consider in your evaluation of each individual flight bite.

Plane and Pilot Performance

For those in the Southeast and Mid Atlantic where the ground is flatter and the mountains more benign than their western cousins, airplane performance isn’t usually a factor. But, if you venture into unfamiliar terrain, you’ll need to make it a factor from the start. For example: Are there flight segments that include high terrain? If yes, does your airplane have the performance capability to fly over them, even with a high density altitude? Is the terrain high enough to require supplemental oxygen for the pilot and/or passengers? What are your options in case of weather or mechanical difficulties? Is there another way that might work better? Are there airspace constraints or temporary flight restrictions? The answers to these questions may suggest some modifications to each individual flight bite.

How about fuel? What is your airplane’s range, using the most conservative estimate of its fuel consumption? Remember, legal reserves are just a starting point, so factor in a comfortable margin. Also, be sure to check your flight segments for fuel availability along the way and adjust the route accordingly.

How about pilot and passenger comfort? We all have physiological needs, but there is also a fatigue factor. Consider adjusting the segments to fly longer legs when you are most rested and shorter legs as the flying day progresses.

Food and Shelter

Another factor to consider in adjusting the length and direction of your individual route segments is availability of services. Fuel is important for the airplane’s health, but food is important for the well-being of its pilot and passengers. Adjust the “flight bites” as necessary to allow options other than grabbing a bite from the airport vending machine.

Adjust the day’s final segment to ensure that shelter is available in the form of hotels or other lodging. Don’t forget that you will need a way to get there: Is there a courtesy car or a car-rental facility? What about FBO business hours?

Maintenance availability might also be a consideration in adjusting the direction and length of your flight segments. If you are flying with supplemental oxygen, you’ll also want to plan stops at facilities that can service the tanks appropriately.

The Internet provides a nearly infinite range of ways to get this kind of long-distance planning information. A good place to start is AOPA’s airport directory at: http://www.aopa.org/airports/ (open to the public) or www.airnav.com. These sites are good places to evaluate your potential stops. They include information on surrounding businesses, hotels, car rentals, and other services. Also, they generally contain information from the FAA’s Airport/Facility Directory, but, remember, they aren’t a substitute for its information about aeronautical infrastructure.

Once you’ve reviewed all this information, you can rank the factors most important to you and adjust your route accordingly. For example, airport A may have a slightly shorter runway, but be open longer or have better services than airport B.

The Best Laid Plans …

Survival kits are generally not necessary for everyday flying, but as you venture farther away from home base consider bringing some kind of survival kit, along with knowledge on how to use its contents. The FAA offers survival videos online at www.faa.

gov/library/online_libraries/aerospace_medicine/aircrew/aircrewsurvivalvideos/. In addition, FAA offers a free one-day basic post-crash survival class through its Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) in Oklahoma City (http://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/airman_education/survival_training/). The bottom line is that you’d rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Phone a Friend

 
One of the best—but often overlooked—resources for long-distance flight information and advice is the pilot community. Aviation is a small world. Tell your fellow pilots what you’re up to (so to speak), and chances are good that someone will have just

the kind of advice and experience you need. Fellow pilots can provide useful information and bring up points you might not have considered. For example, when I flew out west with my father a few years ago, other pilots gave us some important and useful

advice on leaning the engine at higher altitudes to get the best performance. A fellow pilot also served as our consultant for safely crossing some of the mountains. He was able to provide insight and guidance that made a big difference in our trip.
 
Remember, you can also serve as a resource. When I learned that a friend was planning a trip to an airport unfamiliar to him, I realized I knew a pilot who had flown that exact trip many times. Through the magic of connections, my friend was able get

some key information that made his trip a little easier.

If you can’t think of anyone in your aviation circle that might be of assistance, remember the FAA Safety Team, or FAASTeam. In addition to online courses, resources, and WINGS offerings, your local FAASTeam manager and FAASTeam representatives

can provide advice. Check the FAASTeam Directory at www.FAASafety.gov to find the folks in your home area as well as in the places you’re going. It’s not just a corny joke: The FAASTeam folks are from the government and they are here to help you.

Stretch Your Wings!

Flying is fun, and using your flying skills to go places is even more fun. Using these tips, you can safely stretch your wings, broaden your skills, and increase your proficiency as a pilot.

James Williams is FAA Safety Briefing assistant editor and photo editor. He is also a pilot and ground instructor.

I just spent a most-enjoyable 90 minutes today with brand new Administrative Law Judge Alfonso J. Montaño. I was very pleased to have been the first "journalist", either from the aviation community or from the legal community, to have been afforded the time to interview him. He will be introduced to the Washington, D.C. aviation legal community tomorrow morning.

A native of the Taos, New Mexico area, Judge Montaño has an easy, broad smile which he flashed many times during the course of our meeting, particularly when the discussions turned to his newly-found love of flying. He has been married to the same woman -- Trish, a third-grade teacher -- since 1982. They have two children: a son who is in a Doctoral program in Psychology; and a daughter, who is a college senior pursuing a degree in Art History. His son enjoys flying with Dad; his daughter had a bad experience with a discovery flight years ago and has yet to take advantage of Dad's offers to take her up. He remains hopeful that she will come to understand, and not to fear, his new passion.

Other than flying, Judge Montaño is a huge history buff, with a special interest in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. In fact, when I asked him to tell me about his favorite flight to date, he told me that he flew to Tangier Island, in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, which the British had used as a staging area for their assalult on Baltimore during the War of 1812. Judge Montaño also loves music of all kinds. He plays the guitar, but confesses that he, "hasn't advanced much since high school."

I confirmed that Judge Montaño will be taking over the Southeastern Circuit that recently-retired Judge William A. Pope, Jr. had served for so long. I also confirmed that Judge Montaño does not have an existing backlog of cases that were to have been decided by Judge Pope since his retirement. Those cases have been handled by the other three Administrative Law Judges.

Judge Montaño has been in rigorous training to understand his new role as an NTSB ALJ. But he is not starting from scratch by a long shot. He has been in public service all his adult life, and has been an Administrative Law Judge for the past 15 years, working to decide appeals concerning eligibility for Social Security benefits, first in Portland, Oregon and then in the Washington, DC area. He also spent much of his career assisting in Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse cases, first as an investigator, later as an assistant attorney, then as a Trial Attorney for the Department of Justice, and finally as an Administrative Law Judge. He has an interest in all things medical and is looking forward to seeing how medical issues are presented in the aviation legal context.

Learn more about my interview with Judge Montaño in the October Issue of AircraftOwner.

Charles Lopez didn’t have much of a choice it seems. Lopez, who answers to “Charlie,” was simply destined to fly.

    As the story goes, Charlie didn’t come into this world in the usual way. And there would be no fables told in the Lopez home of how a stork left baby Charlie, swaddled in a blanket, at his parents’ doorstep.

    Utter nonsense.

    No, Charlie would have his namesake -- famous aviator Charles Lindbergh -- to thank for his special delivery.

    It was June 13, 1927. New York Harbor. A palpable excitement was in the air. Just a couple weeks earlier, America’s new hero Charles Lindbergh made history as the first pilot to successfully fly an airplane across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris. It took him 33 ½ hours.

    Now, the daring young “Lucky Lindy” was coming home. As he made his triumphal arrival in New York Harbor, Lindberg happened to fly directly over the Lopez household in Jersey City, New Jersey.

    With the characteristic deftness of a world class aviator, Lindy successfully dropped a package from his plane onto the Lopez’s roof. It was a brown wicker laundry basket. Inside the basket was a bundle. And that bundle soon would be named Charles Lopez.

    “My mother would tell that story to relatives, neighbors and friends, looking at me adoringly and then pointing to the wicker basket which I slept in as a baby,” recalls the adventurous Lopez, 83, who owns an aerial photography business, Flying Camera, in Miami, FL. “Well, I thought it had to be true. There’s the wicker basket and my name is Charles, after all.”

    Sound reasoning for a toddler. In time, Charlie twigged on to the fact that there were a few holes in that story. Certainly, by the time he was drafted into the United States Army during World War II, he knew the truth.

    And the truth is that little Charlie was indeed born the very day and very hour Lindberg sailed -- on a yacht, not his Spirit of St. Louis -- into Hudson Bay with much fanfare.

    A 22-plane salute flew overhead. Tug boat horns tooted and blared in the harbor. Some 300,000 people gathered at Battery Park in New York City, cheering for their hero. And across the harbor, just three miles away and within earshot of all the hubbub, baby Charlie arrived on the scene, as if he thought all the fuss was for him.

    “Imagine what it must have sounded like to my mother giving birth just a few miles away in her one-bedroom apartment,” writes Lopez, in a story of his own, The Story, which recounts that famed day for his Puerto Rican native mother, Delia. “Surely, she must have thought that this was a great country and that she and her newborn were hardly deserving of so much attention.”

    Turns out, his mother’s tall tale would not only inspire Charlie to eventually take flight in life, but also pen his share of stories -- mostly his own true life aviation adventures.

    “Despite my illustrious beginning, I didn’t learn to fly until my late thirties,” says Lopez, a retired executive for an American pharmaceutical company, who got his wings while on assignment in Puerto Rico. Subsequently, he flew to many of the Caribbean islands.

    Lopez has made up for his late start as a pilot. He’s logged a not-too-shabby 5,500 hours and has lived and flown in several Latin American countries -- including the treacherous terrain of the Andes Mountains in Columbia.

    “Columbia is a rough place to fly,” shares Lopez, who lost several friends to plane crashes in the Andes. “The mountain splits into three separate ranges in Columbia. And in that tropical climate the weather conditions are often unfavorable for flying. It’s just a rough place to fly.”

    Over his 40 some years of flying, Lopez has flown gliders (in Columbia), and in the early 1980’s trained with aerobatic expert Bill Thomas with the United States Aerobatic Team. Thomas was inducted into the Aerobatic Hall of Fame
in 2002.

    “Of course, aerobatic flying forces you to do unusual maneuvers like flying upside down and loops, but that’s excellent training,” says the insatiably curious Lopez. “If you’re ever behind a jet and get caught in turbulence, that can flip you over. So, these things are good to know.”

    Lopez knows what it’s like to come out on the short end of a dangerous flight -- and still live to tell about it. His most harrowing adventure came in early 1967 when he and his then wife, seven months with child, crashed into a mountainous region south of Mexico
City, Mexico.

  Charlie had flown into a cloud formation and emerged to see a forest of green ahead, many of the trees higher than the plane’s cabin.

    “The stall warning bleats intermittently as I try to ease the nose higher,” writes Lopez of the crash in The Cave and the Mountain. “But Fox Echo Victor has given all she can. No longer will she climb to safer altitude. If I persist in forcing a climb, we will stall. The nose will drop abruptly, one wing will fall into a spiraling turn and we will bore a hole into the earth below.“

    As “there is no escaping the pines ahead” both wings are sheared off the plane and the fuselage crashes into the ground, coming to rest at a 45 degree angle. The instrument panel is pressed up against the couple. Gasoline pours into the cabin from the crumpled wing, soaking them. Somehow, Charlie manages to struggle free and eventually free his wife. Locals help them down the mountain.

    “I made all the mistakes that probably could be made that flight,” recalls Lopez, who blames “stupidity” for the mishap. Both he and his wife suffered serious lacerations. Charlie broke a couple ribs. And it would be years before the reoccurring nightmares ceased. In fact, they kept him from climbing back into the pilot’s seat for six years. That is, until a flight instructor friend from Haiti helped him face his fears.

    “He knew of the accident,” explains Lopez. “He asked me to fly with him and once we were up there, he asked me to take the controls while he looked through some flight maps. He was very wise how he did it.

    “He told me ‘All you need is a few hours of this, and a few hours of that.’ That created the bug in me to fly again. But this time I decided to do it right. I got an instrument rating. Learned how to fly gliders in Columbia. And I took aerobatic training.”

    Lopez would spend three years in Mexico, five years Columbia and a few years in Lima, Peru -- meeting interesting people all along the way. In his story The Way of the Raven, Charlie recounts his adventures in Latin America with a good German pilot friend and author, Hans Schneider, for whom Charlie photographed the cover of an autobiographical aviation adventure book.

    “Aviation makes strange bed fellows,” writes Lopez. “Much like other deep-rooted interests shared by a few, a common thread tends to link a diverse group of human beings. Class, race, culture, language or economic barriers soon fade away in the presence of a shared passion.”

    Lopez has crisscrossed the U.S. many times with friends. His furthest jaunt, with a couple pals, took him from Miami to Fairbanks, Alaska. “We flew straight across the lower 48 to California, up the west coast to Vancouver then up to Ketchikan along the water route,” explains Charlie, who has been the subject of a Miami Herald online video entitled “Life’s Little Gifts” -- in which Charlie relates the simple pleasures of arriving at the airfield in the stillness just before dawn and then relishing the peace and beauty of flying. Says Charlie: “You just feel good to be alive.”

    Aside from the thrill of flying, Charlie’s other passion is photography.

    “I was born with a camera in my hand,” says Charlie, inadvertently adding to the wicker basket lore. “From as early as I can remember, I liked taking pictures. I used have one of those Brownie cameras as a kid.”

    These days the easy-going adventurer takes to the air regularly, sometimes simply for the joy of it and other times to shoot often breath-taking aerial shots of the Miami skyline for his Flying Camera business he started in the 1980’s. He has more than 50,000 pictures stored
on discs.

    When Charlie turned 80 a few years ago, he joined the ranks of the United Flying Octogenarians (UFO) -- a group of some 650 pilots worldwide who have all flown as pilot in command on or past their 80th birthday.

    Charlie clearly tries to remember and live by a simple truth he touches on in one of his stories: It’s not so much the destination that counts, but the journey. And to think that journey all started in a simple wicker basket and with his mother’s rich imagination.

    “I still like the story,” writes Charlie in The Story. “It beats the stork thing hands down. And better still, it led me down the path of flying.”

    Charles Lindbergh would be proud.

    If you’re like me, you love flying – sometimes to get somewhere and other times just for the fun of it – and there is no time like vacation time to fly. The weather tends to be good and because you’re on vacation, you can plan a more leisurely trip that avoids the chance for “get homeitus”.

    First, take a look at all of your options for travel. Last year I ran the numbers for a trip to and from OSH, assuming a departure from Amarillo, Texas. That article caused quite a stir because it proved that the General Aviation option was clearly better than either the Airlines or driving a car.

    So, why not plan a cross country vacation yourself and see how it works out. First by figuring your total cost for a trip in your car. Be sure to include hotels, food and fuel along the way. If you want to factor in “travel time” you could add something for the days you will spend sitting behind the wheel vs. enjoying your destination.

    Then then take a look at the airline travel time and cost. Don’t forget to include luggage charges, parking if you need it, time to and from the big airport, etc. Unless you elect to travel from one big hub to the other, and purchase your tickets well in advance, the airline option will not be all that great.

    Now pull out your Pilot’s Operating Handbook and plan a trip to someplace fun. Be sure to use one of the free fuel stop planning aids on the Internet to help keep your fuel cost at rock bottom. Don’t forget: when you are flying yourself it’s easy to take side trips you would simply not take in your own car. Plus, side trips are impossible when you are on airlines.

    How about car rentals? I have found that many times you can get a free loaner car at an FBO if you just buy fuel (and sometimes even if you don’t). This helps make lunch stops a lot more fun than some McDonald’s along the freeway. You can stop at small towns and small airports that add an extra spice and slice of life to your travels. Even on overnight stops you can often borrow the car for free.

    Then there is simply the fun of flying yourself. It’s easy to vagabond around the country when you are on vacation. Pick some destinations that you have always wanted to visit. For example, have you ever flown Out West? It’s a lot of fun and not nearly as difficult as some people seem to believe, particularly when you choose your routes carefully.

    Sure, if you are going to fly some mountain passes you should brush up on your higher altitude/terrain flying skills. Thinking about it is often more imposing that actually doing it. Take Jackson Hole for example.

    I can’t tell you how many people say they would never fly into Jackson Hole. Heck, you would think it’s at the bottom of a crater somewhere. Fact is, it is not really that difficult if you plan for it. And if you don’t like the idea of flying into Jackson, you can elect to visit nearby Driggs, Idaho or West Yellowstone, Montana both of which have even easier approaches.

            It really does not matter where you elect to visit. The point is, you own an airplane – why not use it for your vacation? Plan it out and you will discover General Aviation offers your vacation many more options, more than likely at a lower price than driving or flying commercially.

Many pilots ask what the different criterions are for First, Second, and Third Class Pilot Medical Certificates. Interestingly, there are not very many. In fact, for healthy individuals, there are basically three—vision standards, the electrocardiogram (EKG) requirement, and the frequency of the exams.

The main purpose of the pilot medical exam is to predict sudden medical incapacitation. Since the world wide medical community has never been successful predicting incapacitation or death, the FAA does not have a chance. Thus, the medical exam is really a method of screening out pilots who have already had medical issues.

First Class Medicals are required for the pilot in command of a scheduled airline or in other words, a pilot exercising the privileges of an airline transport rating. A Second Class Medical is required for pilots who fly aircraft for hire including passenger transport but not on a scheduled basis, thus exercising commercial pilot privileges. This also includes freight dogs and sprayers. Third Class is for pilots who are not being paid for any
pilot services.

First Class Medicals are good for one year for pilots under age 40 and six months for pilots over 40. Second Class Medicals are good for one year regardless of age. Third Class Medicals are good for five years for those under 40 and two years for those above 40.

The distant vision required for First and Second Class is 20/20 in each eye with or without correction but Third Class only requires 20/40 in each eye with or without correction. Near vision is the same for all classes—20/40 corrected or uncorrected. However, for First Class Medicals, pilots over 50 have to have 20/40 corrected or uncorrected vision at the intermediate range o f 32 inches while there are no intermediate requirements for the other class medicals.

The only other difference between medicals is the requirement for resting electrocardiograms for First Class Medical Certificates for pilots once at 35 years of age and annually starting at 40. This rule dates from an age when EKGs were the only objective way to evaluate the heart and the requirement persists only because no one has the guts to stop it. Resting EKGs have no predictive value for sudden incapacitation. Stress (otherwise known as treadmill) electrocardiograms are far better. However, stress tests are more expensive and require more time. The FAA has yet to move to require stress testing and probably never will due to all the flak it gets for requiring anything that costs more money and time.

An interesting fact is although First Class Medical certificates are the most stringent, sudden incapacitation has not been an issue given almost all circumstances where a First Class Certificate is required also requires a second crew member. The most risky area for medicals may actually be a Second Class pilot who may be flying single pilot charters without the benefit of crew time limits and other organized labor efforts.

The number of medical related accidents is so small that there have been proposals to drop the medical requirement for Third Class similar to the Sport Pilot situation which does not require medicals. My prediction is that once Sport Pilot has ten or so years under its belt, the medical related accident rate will be similar to the third class private pilot experience and may spur the FAA to drop requirement for Third Class Medicals completely.

We now have a more “enlighten” aeromedical certification group in Oklahoma City, so only a minute portion of pilot applicants with medical problems that are turned down permanently. There are various hoops to jump through and more stringent testing requirements for pilots with health for First and Second Class Medicals than Third, but in the end, most pilots get their medical back.

One brief note about drug testing-- The FAA only looks at urine glucose and protein during a FAA physical. However, for Second and First Class, the DOT requires drug testing on a random basis. The logistics of this testing can be nightmarish so many single pilot and other small operations use third parties to administer their drug test “program.” I do not see this changing anytime soon so if you are flying for hire, avoid those trips to Amsterdam!

The FAA has been working for two years to try to implement a rule which would require all registrations on the US Civil Aircraft Registry to be updated and renewed every three years. The Final Rule will become effective on October 1, 2010.

For those of us who have aircraft registrations which do not show an “expiration date” (virtually everyone to date), our renewal date will now be determined based on the MONTH in which our registration was issued, sometime in the years between March of 2011 and December of 2013, in accordance with a schedule included in the Rule. So, if your registration was issued in March of 1990, 1995, 2000, etc., it will now expire on March 31, 2011, and you will need to renew it to stay legal. If your registration was issued in February of any year, your registration will expire on December 31, 2013.           

The Final Rule provides that the FAA will send notice to the Registrant –AT THE ADDRESS ON FILE WITH THE FAA – on or about six months prior to the expiration date.  You will be advised that your registration will expire on the date on the schedule, and that you must send in your new application for re-registration (on a new form that the FAA is now producing) between five months and three months prior to the expiration in order to give the FAA two months to process and issue your re-registration before your old registration expires.

In the case of registrations that were issued in March of any year, you will be told that you must apply for re-registration between November of 2010 and the last day of January of 2011. This will then give the FAA two months to process your re-registration. You will be warned that, if you apply after the last day of January, 2011, you will be at risk if the FAA doesn’t renew your registration before your old registration expires at the end of March.

As usual, there is a NEW FEE attached to this process. After much wrangling, however, the fee for re-registration has been kept at the same as the fee for initial registration when the aircraft is transferred: $5.00.  Considering some of the fees that were being suggested, this is a gift to the aircraft owning community. Our cost of aircraft ownership has just gone up by less than two dollars a year because of this new FAA paperwork.

One of the key elements of this new Rule is an attempt to address registrations that are incorrect in some way that just stay on the Registry anyway because the FAA has no way to purge them. In some cases, the former owner forgets to send back the old “hard-card” registration certificate. In others, the aircraft is scrapped without being de-registered, or the aircraft owner dies and no one tells the FAA. More commonly, there are errors made when registrants do not meet all of the legal requirements for registering as a corporation, partnership, trust or other entity. The new Rule attempts to correct this situation by putting such registrations, as well as registrations which do not renew as required under the new Rule, in a special category, and, after a period of time, purging those registrations for the Civil Aircraft Registry.

LESSON NUMBER ONE:

MAKE SURE YOUR CORRECT ADDRESS IS ON FILE WITH THE FAA

REGISTRY FOR THE PERSON OR ENTITY THAT IS THE

REGISTRANT OF YOUR AIRCRAFT.

LESSON NUMBER TWO:

MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON’T MISS THE DEADLINE FOR RE-REGISTERING. THE FAA IS GIVING YOU A THREE-MONTH WINDOW, AND IT IS DOUBTFUL THAT THEY WILL HAVE MUCH SYMPATHY FOR YOU IF YOU DON’T GIVE THEM THE TWO MONTHS THEY WANT TO PROCESS YOUR RENEWAL.

LESSON NUMBER THREE:

CHECK THE REGISTRATION STATUS OF YOUR

AIRCRAFT ON-LINE AT www.faa.gov.
IF THERE ARE ANY NOTES THERE THAT YOU DIDN’T

EXPECT, YOU NEED TO STRAIGHTEN IT OUT
– RIGHT NOW!

NOTE: If you want to have a really exciting afternoon, try flying an aircraft without a valid registration on file back into the US from overseas. You will get an up close glimpse of our Customs agents, TSA folks, and all of the other arms of Homeland Security in action.  Your view may be a bit impaired by the asphalt of the ramp to which your face will be pinned by a boot, but it will still make quite an impression.

    Back in March 2006, I was contacted by a professional photographer named Mike who lives in the Chicago area. He and several of his friends were planning a photographic excursion to the southwest. They wanted to hire a helicopter for a photo shoot over Lake Powell the following month.

    If you don’t know anything about Lake Powell, here’s the short story. It was created back in the 1960s when the government built the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River near what is now Page, AZ. It took only seven years to fill the huge lake with water. It acts as a reservoir, produces hydroelectric power, and offers recreational activities including boating, houseboating, and other water sports as well as camping, hiking, and fishing. In the early 2000s, the Navajo Nation, whose land borders the south side of the lake from the City of Page to the San Juan River confluence and beyond, built a marina at Antelope Point (near the entrance to Antelope Canyon) to generate sorely-needed revenue from on the huge lake in their backyard. The lake sits on the northeastern side of Arizona, stretching northeast into Utah.

    I’ve been houseboating on Lake Powell twice. I love it. Miles and miles of twisting canyons branch off from the main channel of the river. The shoreline is endless, the rock formations, cliffs, and hidden ruins are enough to keep any explorer busy for a lifetime. If I had my choice of living anywhere in the world, I’d live on a houseboat on Lake Powell. I love it that much.

    Of course, there is a movement among conservationists to drain the lake. They claim that the Glen Canyon area was beautiful before the dam and that the lake has destroyed that beauty. They also point out numerous town sites and ruins that were inundated when water levels rose. My response to these people is that it’s too late. The damage is done. And how can you truly fault the decision makers for making some of the most remote desert terrain accessible to the general public? It could have been worse. They could have flooded the Grand Canyon, as they’d planned years ago. Or Yosemite. And come on, guys — we know there are many other beautiful places out there that are just as remote and inaccessible as Glen Canyon was.

    Besides, have you seen the lake? It’s beautiful, too.

Preparing for the Trip

Anyway, after getting the call from Mike, my first task was to call the National Park Service to make sure I could do such a flight. The airspace over Grand Canyon is regulated and I wasn’t sure what kind of regulations existed for The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, in which the lake sits. I spoke to a ranger in the law enforcement area. He told me that I could do the photo shoot. He suggested that I not fly low over any of the marinas and reminded me that landing was prohibited anywhere except at a landing strip.

    Mike and I made arrangements. I explained I’d need a credit card number and would charge him $1,000 to cover my round trip ferry costs if I flew up to Page and he cancelled. He was fine with that. We set two dates — the second in case the first had bad weather — and I sent him a contract.

    The month passed quickly. I was unbelievably busy with the helicopter, actually making money with it. I learned that my rates were lower than rates charged by other companies with similar (or better) equipment. Even when I charged for ferry costs to get down to Phoenix where most of the business was, my total cost was far below other companies. I wasn’t trying to undercut anyone. I just had much lower overhead and was satisfied with a smaller chunk of profit. In those pre-recession days of Spring 2006, my phone as ringing incessantly. I had custom charters in one week alone totaling about16 hours of flight time. While that might be peanuts for large operators, it was serious revenue for a small company like Flying M Air.

Will Weather Ruin It?

The flight was set for a Thursday in April. I started checking the weather on Tuesday. It didn’t look bad, but it didn’t look good. Clouds, chance of T-storms, some wind. Not optimal conditions for a photo flight. I looked at my calendar and realized that with some juggling, I could switch the flight to Friday afternoon (after another flight at Lake Havasu), spend the night in Page, and offer them another flight in the morning. I e-mailed Mike. I didn’t get a response. I didn’t realize it, but he was already traveling.

    On Wednesday, the weather forecast looked better. But I thought my idea was pretty good. I called Mike and left him a voicemail message on his cell phone.

    Thursday morning came. I had a message on my cell phone from Mike. We were still on for Thursday. Fine. The weather forecast looked a little better anyway. I did all my morning stuff, packed a bag, and went out to the airport to prepare the helicopter for the flight.

    I was literally stepping into the helicopter at 11:30 AM on Thursday to fly up to Page when my cell phone rang. It was Mike. He wanted to know about the weather. I told him what I knew. He talked to his friends. I heard him mention Friday as an alternative. Then he came back and said “They want to do it today.”

    “Fine,” I said. “I’m on my way.” Then I said goodbye, hung up the phone, and turned it off.

    I flew up to Page. It was a 1.7 hour flight from my base in Wickenburg, AZ — lucky for Mike; I had estimated 2 hours and I always double my ferry time to get round trip ferry time. It was windy in Wickenburg, Prescott, Williams, and Grand Canyon. The wind didn’t let up until I reached the Little Colorado River. From that point on — about 30 minutes — it was a nice, smooth flight. The rest was rather tiresome.

    I got to the airport at 1:30 PM. I was supposed to meet Mike at 2 PM.
I turned on my cell phone. There was a message. It was from Mike.

    “If you haven’t left yet, we want to change it to Saturday.”

    Damn.

    Well, he knew our deal. He’d signed the contract. If I flew up and he didn’t use me, it would cost him $1,000, which barely covered my costs.

    We’re on!

    But he showed up at the airport with four companions. I would take them up in two groups — three and then two. Mike would go in the second group. He wanted late afternoon light. The first group wasn’t as concerned about the light.

    I went out with the FBO guy to take all the doors off the helicopter. We stored them in Classic Aviation’s hangar. Then the FBO guy drove us all over to the helicopter for the safety briefing and first flight.

    The first minor difficulty was language. The photographers were all from Russia and English was not their first language. We went out to the helicopter and I gave them a safety briefing.
One of the men translated for the others to make sure they understood. Then I handed out life jackets, made sure they all put them on, and made sure they were all strapped in and their seatbelts were secured.

    A word about the life jackets. My understanding is that they were not required by the FAA for photo flights within gliding distance of land. Still, I required them. I would not be able to live with myself if we had to go swimming and one of my passengers drowned because he didn’t have a life jacket. Besides, I don’t know about you, but if I crashed a helicopter into a lake, I’d probably need some flotation assistance. Otherwise, I’d probably drown in my tears as I watched my shiny red investment sink.

    I’d bought two of them for a photo flight over Lake Havasu that had been scheduled months ago for the next day. The ones I bought were Mustang inflatable collars and they cost me $124 each. They’re small and comfortable to wear and do not automatically inflate when they hit water. The way I see it — and the salesperson at the company I bought them from agreed — you want to get out of the helicopter before you inflate the vest so you don’t get stuck in the helicopter. The vest inflates by pulling a rip cord that triggers an air cartridge. So I had two of these deluxe life jackets and two standard life vests from our WaveRunner days. Since then, I’ve bought three more FAA-approved, life jackets specifically designed for helicopter passengers and use those for passengers.

    As we climbed aboard the helicopter, the weather was quickly deteriorating to the east. There was a huge cloud of dust near the Navajo Power Generating Station — a dust storm. The wind was coming from that direction, so there was a chance it would be at the airport soon. I still needed to start up, warm up, and take off. Fortunately, the lake looked clear — amazing how localized weather can be out in the desert.

    I got the onlookers away from the helicopter and started up. We took off into the wind with the dust storm about three miles away. I turned toward the lake, crossed over the marina at Antelope Point, and headed toward Padre Bay, where Mike had told me to go.

First, the Hobbyists

Out over the lake, it was sunny. But the sunlight, filtered through a thin layer of clouds, was softer than usual for the desert. Not perfect, but nice enough for photography.

    I flew around for a while before one of my passengers started giving me directions of the “go left,” “go right” variety. That soon changed to “Please stop in this place” and “I want what you see on my side.” He meant he wanted me to hover and turn. He didn’t like taking photos from a moving helicopter. So I’d be moving along at about 80 knots to get from one place to the next and he’d say “Please stop in this place,” apparently expecting me to put on the brakes and bring it into an abrupt hover. I got a lot of quick stop practice, as well as practice hovering out of ground effect high over the lake with pedal turns to get the view he wanted on his side of the helicopter. Then, when it was time to start moving again, I’d try to fly slowly so the next stop would be smoother. But he’d tell me to go faster to get to the next place.

    Hurry, hurry, stop!

    The other passengers didn’t make any requests at all. The woman beside me had a video camera and she took pictures of everything — the view, the controls, her face, the guys behind her, and even her feet. The passenger behind me was the one with good English skills and he’d translate for his companions when needed. He just took photos out his side and occasionally out the side his companion was shooting on. They were both using digital cameras with long lenses and I often had to move far away from a scene so they could shoot it.

    We flew over some of the most spectacular scenery I’d ever flown over. The lake level was relatively low, but the water was still finding its way into narrow canyons that twist and turn into the sandstone. The rock formations were magnificent; the reddish colors looked incredible against the blue of the water and the partly cloudy sky. It was a bit hazy, making the mountains of Utah look more distant than they really were. But Navajo Mountain was a clearly defined bulk nearby, with snow on the ground among the trees on its north side.

    We went quite far uplake, passing Dangling Rope Marina, which is only accessible by boat. I had a map of that area of the lake with me and I consulted it. Sure enough, Rainbow Bridge was nearby. I asked them if they wanted to see it and they didn’t know what it was. I tried to explain, then just took them. They were suitably impressed. The light was shining just right on it and there were no people down there to bother with the noise we made during our short visit.

    In fact, the lake was pretty much empty. The high season hasn’t started yet and, on a Thursday, there weren’t many boaters around. We did see a few houseboats already camped for the night, as well as a bunch of campers with tents and powerboats. I’m a bit envious of the people with boats — although I could see much more than they could and explore more of the lake in less time, I couldn’t land, get out, and explore on foot. Boaters have that option.

    We went as far upriver as Hole in the Rock, passing the confluence of the San Juan River along the way. Then it was too boring — for them, not me! — and they wanted to go back to where we’d first started shooting photos, in Padre Bay. Finally, they were finished and we headed back to the airport. The dust storm was long gone and, although it looked cloudy to the south and the skies there threatened rain, the weather at the airport was not an issue at all. We landed with 1.7 more hours on the Hobbs.

Next, the Professionals

I took on another 25 gallons of fuel and swapped passengers. Now I was flying the more serious photographers, Mike and his friend Igor. Unfortunately, the sun had slipped below some even thicker clouds and the light was softer than before. It wasn’t bad at the beginning of the flight, but the longer we flew, the worse the light got. It wasn’t late — only about 4:30 PM MST and at least two hours before sunset — but the clouds were ruining the show. I could tell Mike was very disappointed, but there was nothing I could do about it.

    Mike was satisfied to simply fly slowly around the area, pausing now and then to maneuver the helicopter so he could take a shot. He and Igor were using professional camera equipment — high-end digital in those waning days of film — and Mike spent a lot of time checking each photo in a shaded preview screen before taking his next shot. We covered Padre Bay and headed uplake. Since we were so close to Rainbow Bridge at one point, I took them to see it, but the light was bad by then and the shots wouldn’t have come out very well. They satisfied themselves taking pictures of the slot canyons and the swirls the rocks and water made when viewed from above. Really dramatic stuff. I wished I could shoot photos, too, but both hands and feet were kept quite busy.

    Mike and Igor were a funny team. Mike, sitting next to me, would ask Igor a question like, “What do you think, Igor? Where do you want to go?” And Igor just wouldn’t reply. Not at all. Like he hadn’t heard him. At one point, I said, “Igor? Can you hear us?” And he pushed his talk button (I had the voice-activated feature turned off because of the wind in the microphones) and told us he could. But the next time Mike asked a question, it would go unanswered. It was driving Mike nuts and making it difficult for me not to laugh.

Done for the Day

After 1.4 hours, we landed back at the airport. By then, the light was terrible. It was nearly 6 PM and the FBO was scheduled to close. I needed to top off both tanks and retrieve my doors, then make some kind of arrangement for transportation to town, where I planned to spend the night. Although I had enough light to get to Grand Canyon or Williams before dark, the clouds looked thick to the south and I didn’t want to have to turn back. There’s nowhere else to go out there. I didn’t think that dropping in on a Navajo family living 20 miles from pavement would be a good idea.

    Mike and I settled up the bill with his charge card. Although he looked disappointed, he told me that it had been good. I wish it had been better. He spent a lot of money — he had to pay for my round trip ferry costs, too — and if he didn’t get the kind of photos he wanted, it was money down the drain.

    Fortunately, the lone FBO guy took pity on me and gave me the keys to the courtesy van for my overnight stay. I had to be back at the airport at 5:30 AM for a 6:00 AM departure to Lake Havasu City.

    But that’s another story.

Epilogue

Since that first flight with Mike and his group, I’ve come back to Lake Powell dozens of times for photo flights. I even spent two months there in the late summer and early fall of 2008. I’ve flown every mile of the lake’s main channel from Marble Canyon (south of the dam on the Colorado River) to Canyonlands National Park. I’ve explored most of its side canyons and its two major arms: the Escalante and the San Juan. I’m at the point where if you show me an aerial photo of the lake — as one photographer who wanted to hire me did — I can usually tell you where it was taken. I know the lake that well.

    This year, I’ll be flying for Mike’s group and a few other photographers in September 2010. I plan to spend most of the month in Page, hopefully conducting a few more photo flights or day trips to Bullfrog Marina or Monument Valley. If you’re in the area, look me up!

Aviation fuel and ground transportation fuel both come from petroleum. Petroleum comes from crude oil, which is a fossil fuel. Yet the makeup of each is quite different. Ground transportation's vapors are flammable, whereas aviation fuel has to be non-flammable. There are multiple types of aviation gasoline, as well as ground transportation fuel.

There are two different types of aviation gas, which are jet fuel and avgas. Avgas is a combination of the two words aviation and gasoline. Avgas is normally used in aircraft that have reciprocating engines. It is a high-octane fuel used for aircraft and racing cars. The higher the octane, the less flammable and/or combustible the fuel is.

Jet fuel is the more common of the two. There are three types of jet fuel. These are Jet A, Jet A-1 and Jet B. The most common jet fuel is a kerosene and paraffin oil-based fuel classified as JET A-1. Kerosene is thin oil distilled from petroleum or shale oil. Jet A-1 fuel has to comply with international standardized set specifications. JET B is a fuel in the naptha-kerosene "family" that is prized for its superior cold-weather performance. Since it is a lighter composition, it is more dangerous. Both JET A and JET B typically contain a number of additives, including antioxidants to prevent gumming, antistatic agents to dissipate static electricity and prevent sparking, and fuel system icing inhibitor agents.

Ground transportation fuel is normally gasoline or diesel. Both come from petroleum. Production of gasoline is achieved by distillation of crude oil. The desirable liquid is separated from the crude oil in refineries. To create gasoline, petroleum must first be removed from crude oil. Gasoline for sale in most countries carries an octane rating. Octane is a measure of gasoline's resistance to combusting prematurely. Diesel is a by-product of crude oil. A diesel engine is a type of internal combustion engine which ignites fuel by compressing it, as opposed to a gasoline engine that uses a spark plug.

All of these fuels come from fossil fuels, which are then turned into crude oil. After different types of refining, a fuel is made to suit the type of engine and conditions it will be used in. If an inappropriate fuel is used in an engine, then the desired outcome will not be achieved.
About The Author
Comdata can help companies decrease their fuel expenses with a fleet card or aviation fuel card program, while providing company management with detailed information about how efficiently their fuel is being used.

The author invites you to visit: http://www.comdata.com