Mexico has announced that they are requiring 406 MHz ELTs starting this weekend [source]. Since Phoenix Flyers’ aircraft are not equipped with these transponders, for now we’re suspending flights to Mexico. This will appear in the next revision of the Operations Manual, and our International Flying page and FAQ of ‘can I take one of the aircraft into Mexico?‘ are both updated accordingly.
Updated Operations Manual
The Board has issued a new version of the Operations Manual, dated June 2018. It’s available to download here:
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The updates include codifying our reciprocity between glass-cockpit, non-glass, and non-high-performance aircraft. A tabular form of that reciprocity is on the FAQ for ‘What are the requirements for an aircraft checkout?‘
List of updates
| Sections 3.5, 5.2, 5.9, and 10.7 | Updated references to the removed appendices to point to the Aircraft Clubs document repository. |
| Section 5.5 | Defined annual checkride reciprocity from glass-cockpit aircraft to non-glass aircraft. |
| Section 6.3 | Removed outdated reference to a phone reservation system. |
| Section 8.8 | Deleted references to annotating CHD and DVT fuel receipts, which is no longer needed. |
| Section 12.3.3 | Deleted section for submitting CHD and DVT fuel receipts, which are now delivered electronically. |
| Section 12.3.6 | Noted that membership shares are always repaid by the club, even with a waitlist, and removed 13.3.6.4 that permitted refund of a member’s application fee while a waitlist was in effect. |
| Section 14.5 | Updated website reference to include Aircraft Clubs. |
Chandler Airport Runway Safety Meeting – 20 Sept
The local safety action team annual meeting for KCHD is scheduled for 20 September 2018 at 0900 in the Chandler Airport Terminal:
The runway safety action team (RSAT) meeting provides an opportunity for airport users and tenants to discuss airport surface safety concerns in an effort to reduce risk. The agenda items for the meeting include a discussion of runway and/or taxiway changes, markings, lighting, electrical, signage, and procedures. The team will also discuss open and recently closed action items, and review runway incursions and surface deviations that have occurred in the past 12 months. The meeting is open to all airport users and tenants.
Mark your calendars if you’d like to be involved in safety decisions for Chandler Airport!
To view further details and registration information for this seminar, click here.
April 2018 meeting cancelled; new Deer Valley meeting location in-progress
Our 24 April 2018 meeting is cancelled due to a lack of quorum (officer business travel). Next board meeting is now scheduled for May 22 at CHD.
We also will be changing locations at Deer Valley Airport. Due to changes to terminal building security, we cannot use the upstairs conference room at our standard meeting time. We’ll let everyone know when we find another solution.
Fly safe!
How available is our fleet?
One of the frequently asked questions from prospective members is: how difficult is it to schedule an aircraft?
Using data from AircraftClubs.com, we’ve assembled some Fleet Usage and Availability Statistics on their own page. Most notably, over the last two years:
- There are usually two aircraft available on any given day, and
- Our aircraft are usually scheduled every two days.
Have a look, and we’ll keep improving the data there over time.
AOPA Regional Fly In, 14-15 Sept 2018 in Santa Fe, NM
Bob Ballou is putting together a group to attend AOPA’s Regional Fly In. If you’re interested in joining the crew, please reach out to him! Remember, contact information is available in AircraftClubs. See his recent announcement:
Greetings fellow club members,
AOPA is conducting a regional fly in on 14-15 September in Santa Fe NM. Aside from possible adverse weather this is a nice cross country flight that can be done without a refueling stop (350 nm plus or minus depending on route). So, at our annual meeting I asked if anyone was interested in going and it was suggested I put out this global message. With the thought in mind that perhaps, if there is enough interest, we could pool resources and share the ride. Considering room availability (or maybe camping?) the time to plan is now.
If there is any interest please let me know. I’m not big on planning but I will put together a list of those interested and share with those interested.
Keep the sunny side up,
Bob Ballou
N47601 Gets New Avionics, ADS-B, and a New Interior
Our Archer II, N47601, has come back from its annual with new avionics and a whole new interior! The new fabric is a Douglas Interiors breathable mesh, and should be comfortable and beautiful for many years.
The panel now has a Garmin 530W navigator, a new Garmin GTX-345 ADS-B like we installed in N493JL, and a PS Engineering Audio Panel. The old LORAN is removed. We’ll plan to refresh the panel color to better match the new interior in the next year or so.
Phoenix Flyers has started a waiting list.
At the August 2017 meeting, the Phoenix Flyers Board set a membership cap at 42 pilots, which we’ve just reached. Because of that, we’ve re-started our waiting list.
More details on the waiting list will be in the next revision of the Operations Manual.
If you haven’t joined yet, don’t worry! The waiting list just began, and should move quickly. Get in touch today!
N493JL is now ADS-B-equipped
Our 182S Skylane now has a Garmin GTX-345 ADS-B In/Out transponder in its panel. This meets ADS-B Out requirements, will work directly with Garmin Pilot apps for showing weather and traffic, and also will ensure that if you use a portable ADS-B solution in 3JL that you will always receive ADS-B Traffic (when possible).