Employee and Student Of The Month

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

     • Andrew Struppa

STUDENT OF THE MONTH

     • This month’s recipient of Student Of The Month is Jennifer Corrigan.  Jennifer is working on both the Instrument Rating and Commercial License concurrently, and will achieve both by the end of August.  Her instructor is Michael Costales.

Runway Crossing Changes

     Effective last month the FAA has changed the rules regarding runway crossings at towered airports.  Previously the rule stated that a pilot may cross any inactive runway unless specifically told to hold short by ATC.  The new rule now states that pilots must hold short of ALL runways, both active and inactive, unless specifically cleared to cross by ATC. Keep in mind also that ATC may only clear an aircraft to cross one runway at a time.  As always, if in doubt whether you have been cleared to cross a runway, ASK!

---

New Piper Sport: N602PS

     Long awaited, the time has finally come!  Michael Costales and Gregory Woo will be travelling to the Piper factory in Florida during the first week of August to pick up and fly home the latest addition to the BFC fleet:  a PiperSport LSA (Light Sport Aircraft), tail number N602PS.  Once the aircraft is home we will be updating our website to include a wealth of information about this newcomer.  In conjunction with the arrival of the aircraft, BFC will now provide training for the Sport Pilot License.  This aircraft has a control stick in lieu of the traditional control yoke, and will feature a glass cockpit and autopilot.  The aircraft type is not, unfortunately, certified for IFR flight.  Schedule an introductory lesson today to fly one of the newest aircraft designs on the market!

---

     One often overlooked V-speed happens to be one of the most important:  V_A.  Known as "Design Maneuvering Speed" or simply "Maneuvering Speed," it is perhaps one of the most misunderstood V-speeds out there.  The first thing to know is that Maneuvering Speed is not  the speed at which you enter your flight maneuvers!  This is a common misconception.  Rather, Maneuvering Speed is the speed at which you slow the aircraft to when flying in turbulent air.  Why?  It’s all about structural safety.  At or below V_A an aircraft will stall before structural damage will occur due to increased load factors. Keep in mind that V_A changes with the weight of the aircraft:  the lighter the weight, the lower the airspeed.  Be sure to consult the aircraft POH for the exact values.  So, the next time you fly into turbulence, immediately slow down to V_A and keep you and your aircraft safe!

---

     How often do you check your system gauges during flight?  Suction.  Ammeter.  Oil Temperature.  Oil Pressure.  More often than not pilots are so consumed between looking out the window and cross-referencing what they see with their flight instruments that they neglect to reference what are surely the more critical instruments:  the system gauges.  A timely, systematic scan of these instruments can diagnose a problem before it becomes a potential emergency.  The next time you fly make note of how much time you devote to these gauges.  You may be surprised at the result.


Monthly Newsletter In .PDF Format | Download

---

Monthly Newsletter Archive
(Click on a month to download a Newsletter in .PDF format)

2010 Newsletters	2009 Newsletters
• January	• January
• February	• February
• March	• March
• April	• April
• May	• May
• June	• June
• July	• July
• August	• August
	• September
	• October
	• November
	• December
2008 Newsletters	2007 Newsletters
• January	• January
• February	• February
• March	• March
• April	• April
• May	• May
• June	• June
• July	• July
• August	• August
• September	• September
• October	• October
• November	• November
• December	• December