Lexington Flying Club Newsletter
June/July 2020
Edited By Mike Proctor
Revised: 6 / 22 / 2020
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Monthly Meetings Will Be Held Via Zoom
Instead of our
regular monthly meetings being held in the WestLex lobby area on the west side
of the field, we will conduct a virtual
meeting on Zoom.
Additional
services are available to club members, including heated hangar pre-heats and
some refueling “valet” services.
Next regular
meeting, via Zoom is Tuesday, July
14th at 7pm.
Headsets For Sale
When we purchased N13821, the previous owners
left four
Telex Exelon 20 headsets in the plane. The club is selling
them for $100.00, payable on your LFC bill or by check/cash
Let Kyle Sward know if you are interested in
purchasing one
or more of them ………..
N13821 Alt-hold Auto Pilot on
order
To bring our latest acquisition up to the level of
the bird it replaced, we will be
installing a autopilot that will climb and descend to an altitude and hold it;
it will track a heading bug or an ILS or a GPS signal. Hope to have it in before September.
C172 N6203F Has New Audio
Panel
No more sticking transmitter selector
switches. Check the new piece of
avionics in 03F.
Here the trick; how to
seamlessly open the hangar door lock
Larry Sward passed along this great tip for
getting into the hangar with no hassles.
When you insert the key into the lock,
turn it 90 degrees clockwise and, with the key in that position, pull
down on the door handle. Voila !
Failure to turn key in the right direction
or not pulling the handle with the key
in the right position can cause problems for you.
Info From AOPA on Flying
Club Ops during the Pandemic
Click on this link to review information from
AOPA
https://aopa.org/-/media/Files/AOPA/Home/News/coronavirus-resources/2020_Return-to-Flight-v4.pdf
Info on New C172 N13821 for the club
When purchased,
N13821 had a TT of 3876.5, engine was overhauled at 2402.4 which meant a TTSMOH
of 1474.1.
Bird is
online. We are working to get some links
to Youtube videos about the Avidyne systems on board.
New Maintenance Officer
for N13821
Many many thanks
to Kyle Sward for offering to look after N13821 for us. Kyle was previously one
of our maintenance officers, so we appreciate his willingness to step forward
once again.
Membership
News
- We need 5 members
Please welcome Riley
Ferguson as our
latest Associate Member.
Please welcome Greg
Gerhardt, Robert Schraff, Nikolai Zivkovic, David Buser, Philip Bernard, and
David O’Neill as our latest
Restricted
Members.
Please welcome
Chase Higginson, Andrew Ingram, Darryl Bennett,
Andrew La Belle, and Ethan Yehud as our
latest FULL Members.
Lance Ferguson, John Sproul and
Wes Farlee are moving up to Full membership
via the Special Membership route.
Rodney Worley passed two
advanced checkrides. Chris Dobson passed
his Instrument and his Commercial Checkride.
They get $50 flying credits
for those milestones
!
Chris Dobson gets a $50 credit
each for getting Level 1 and Level 2 WINGS levels
under the FAA WINGS online program. Click here for details
about
the new WINGS program.
Nathan Hoskins recruited
David O’Neill.
Remember, you get
a $30 or $60 flying credit for
recruiting a new
member, so
keep your recruiting hat on.
To check
out the newly updated roster, click
on the MEMBER AREA tab on the club website.
We have moved to an Insulated
Hangar
The hangar on the east side that houses the police helicopter
and other tenants is being torn down. Airport Admin has asked us to be a good
corporate citizen and give up our larger box hanger for one of the newly built
insulated box hangars nearest Gumbert
Road. The new hangar does not have a separate office/bathroom, and is smaller
in size. It is insulated, however. We also will no longer be responsible for
maintaining the public bathrooms. Rent went up in February, when our annual
payment was renewed. When you badge through the pedestrian gate, our new hangar
is the second one on your immediate left. The hangar door operates differently, we are
working on a sheet to point out the
differences in the way the new hangar door works…
Reminder: Make sure this
info is on every gas receipt
that you turn in
1) Your
Name
2) Transaction Date
3) Tail
number
4) # of gallons
purchased
5) $$ amount of the purchase
Club is offering an
option to have your
bill payment automatically deducted
For a monthly cost of less than a stamp and a check, ($0.34), you
can sign up and have your bill payment automatically deducted from your
checking account on the 25th of each month. Click here
to see the form to fill out. Snail-mail
or e-mail that form back to us along with a voided check for the account you
wish to use. The process will be automatic until you tell us otherwise.
Check your badge – Be sure to renew
on or before the expiration date
One LFC member got hit for $50 when
he went to renew his badge. Be sure to renew on or BEFORE the expiration date
to pay only $15 instead of $50. If you lose your
badge, be sure to ‘fess up and contact
the Airport. Failure to account for the badge will cost you your $150 badge
deposit.
New Maintenance Officer
for N6203F
Many many thanks
to Kyle Sward for looking after N6203F for us for the last couple of years.
Kyle recommended Weslee Farley to replace him as the Maintenance
Officer for N6203F. Welcome, Weslee!
Hourly Rates Reflect 6% Tax Levy on Maintenance Labor
Since fuel
costs are a big part
of the cost of operating our
fleet, we are forced to react
when gas prices
change. Tac Air has raised its rates from
$2.99 to $3.09 to $3.24 to
$3.38 to $3.45 to $3.49 to $3.54 to $3..59 to $3.82 to $.3.83 to $3.98
to $4.14 to $4.19 to $3.99 to $4.14 to $4.24 to $4.34 to $4.49 to $4.35 to $4.45 to
$4.56 to $4.61 to $4.76 to $4.96 to $5.36 to $5.46 to
$5.51 to $5.71 to $5.96 to
$5.76 to $5.51 to $5.31 to $5.11 to $4.96 to $4.66 to $4.68 to $4.886 to
$4.996 to $5.196 to $5.4135 to $5.5128 to $5.6128 to $5.71 to
$5.51 to $5.713 to $5.913 to $6.113
to $6.313 to $6.213 to $6.232 to $6.432 to $6.632 to $6.782 to
$7.032 to $7.060 to $7.1612 to $6.732 to $6.822 to
$6.642 to $6.342 to $6.462 to $6.732 to $6.842 over the years, so we are now basing our hourly rates on Tac Air’s
price of
$6.842 per gallon of
avgas.
The state of
Kentucky just enacted a law that
taxes the service
labor
performed by our mechanics at 6%. So, effective,
July 1, 2018 the board
voted to fold
these
costs into the houly rate of the
planes.
However,
the huge discount
given to members in the
form of gas rebates mitigates the price increase significantly. On a real time (Hobbs) basis, 5 of 6 airplanes still cost less than $100/hour to fly;
the C152 is under $72/hour.
Rates, effective 7/1/2018,
based on tach time,
are:
C152 – $100.00 Approximate
Hobbs Rate: $71.25
Older C172 -
$126.50 Approximate
Hobbs Rate: $85.00
Newer C172 -
$131.75 Approximate
Hobbs Rate: $88.50
Diamond (DA-40) - $145.25 Approximate
Hobbs Rate: $95.25
Archer 01W -
$145.75 Approximate
Hobbs Rate: $105.25
Financial spreadsheets for end of
year
2019 have been posted in the
Club Library section
of the club website.
Copy of LFC Promissory Note on our website
Here is a link to a copy of the LFC Promissory Note.Let Mike know if
you are interested in loaning the club $$$ at a 5% interest rate, knowing that you
can get the principal back in 2 business days if you need it. Loans from $5,000
to $50,000 will be considered. The intent is to spread the opportunity around
to as many members as wish to participate.
http://www.lexingtonflyingclub.org/Content/newsletter/2019 Version
of the LFC Promissory Note.txt
Badge System at KLEX
carries $150 penalty for the club per badge holder
The badge system implemented
at the airport
comes
with
a hefty
$150 fine for the club if
a member fails
to turn in a badge.
In order to get a badge, each
member
is asked to pony up a $150 refundable deposit to
the club. Then,
if the member goes inactive,
quits, loses a badge,
carries an expired badge,
or is deemed financially
delinquent, and the member fails to turn
in their badge, they will
lose their
$150 deposit. Note:
We have been advised
that public safety officers will be sent
to attempt to retrieve a badge if
the member fails
to heed the clubs demand for return
of the badge.
Higher prices
are going into
effect for new member
badges and
for
eventual renewal of badges: $50 for a new
badge and $15 to renew.
Click here to see a pdf file for more details
!
Another new requirement: Plan on getting your badge renewed BEFORE it
expires; waiting until after it expires
will force the club to
demand the return of the expired badge and the airport will force you to go through the FBI fingerprint
and the whole new badge process and charge you $50 instead of $15.
New West Side Maintenance and FBO-like
Facilities
A west side
presence of “FBO-like” facilites and Mustang Maintenance facilities is now a
reality. Plans are to have fueling personnel and enhanced creature comfort
facilites as part of west side expansion plans.
Also announced were plans for an “exit only” automobile exit to get out of the west side area at the light
at the entrance to Keeneland.
Drawings for
the new expansion are in large pdf files linked here:
Birds eye view of what the new area looks like
Detailed plans for the new buidings and ramp and parking
AOPA Announces
new rules regarding FAA Medical Requirements
Here is a link to an AOPA
announcement about the new law that drastically changes the need for an FAA 3rd Class Medical ! Check
it out !
https://www.aopa.org/News-and-Media/All-News/2017/January/10/FAA-releases-final-rule-for-third-class-medical- reform?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=Content&utm_content=3cm&utm_campaign=Announcement
Flyers Saved $10.85 per hour on
gas
last year
Using data from
our year end financials, our flyers saved an average of $10.85 per flight
hour due to gas rebates handed out from fuel purchases. Those who did not refuel the planes missed
out. Those who put in fuel for other pilots got a double dose of savings.
Check out new
online CLUB LIBRARY
In
the MEMBERS AREA tab on the club website, you will notice a
new link labeled CLUB LIBRARY… Many of the items previously located here in the newsletter have found a permanent home there. Thanks to StevenW
for setting it up and for the many contributors for the articles therein. TONS of good stuff there !
NexGen Aviation providing limited CFI Services
Nexgen
Aviation’s staff of full time CFI’s will be able to provide checkout services
in our airplanes, as well as giving Flight Reviews and Instrument Proficiency
Checks. Due to potential conflicts of interest, their CFI’s are not available for
ongoing student or instrument training in our aircraft.
Caution: LFC Insurance
coverage does NOT extend to Nexgen airplanes, so check with them on what is prudent for you and liability
for flying Nexgen birds.
http://www.flynexgenaviation.com/
Seat Covers
Installed in N65641
Airport adds more Electric “ House-power “ to west side
hangars
One of the issues
we raised with airport management about our west side hangar, was the shortage
of outlets and the low amount of electrical current
(40 Amps)that
was available at each box. We received a
note from the Airport saying that contractors will be coming around to all the
west side hangars to increase the amount of electricity that will be available
to hangar lessees. Good News !
Self Serve Gas Pump Open on the west side at KLEX
Detailed
instructions
are available on how to use
the Self Serve Pump.
Check out
Club Library link on Members Area tab of the club’s website
Please Re-install new
pitot tube covers
In light of our recent bug-in-the-pitot-tube infestation (which
we suspect is thanks to the "mountainn the airport built behind our planes), we have installed pitot tube covers on all the aircraft. Please reinstall them after
each flight and let us know if one goes missing! (Note: the 152 has a built in cover)
Interior Upgrades On
C-172 N6203F
During the 2015 annual on C172 N6203F, we replaced many of the interior
plastic pieces as well as seat covers and carpet pieces. Check it out!
Cessna 172R - N65641
If
you check the schedule you will see this addition to the fleet. N65641 was purchased locally and some club members
flew it when it was on leaseback with Aerotech.
Here are a couple of links to help you get familiar with the bird. If you haven’t flown an airplane with fuel
injection, get an hour checkout with a CFI to help you get up to speed !
Since the engine
is more expensive, we set the hourly rate
$1.50 more than the other Cessna’s.
For more information about some
useful links to Manuals, and other printed information, See Club
Library section on club website tab labeled Members Area
The larger size fuel tanks (53 gal useable) in this bird are both a
blessing and a curse. With just one or
two on board, the extra range is a terrific bonus. But if you want to carry three or four folks,
it is a problem. Fortunately, you can fill to the bottom of the filler necks in
the tanks and only have 35 gallons useable on board (17.5 gal useable in each
tank). Now you can fill to the “tabs”
and elect to add , say, 2.5 gallons more per side for a total of 40 gallons
available. Of course you’ll have to do
this yourself or instruct/monitor the fuel guy attentively !
Check out our
Facebook Page
!
With the help of SteveW and JohnO and others, the LFC now has an
active Facebook page. Check it out !
LFC Featured in edition
of AOPA ePilot
Check out this article in the
current edition of the Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association (AOPA)
ePilot magazine
Motion Passed To Provide Rebates/Surcharges
On Gas Purchases
The proposal to
grant rebates
to members who buy gas at
airports cheaper than the going Tac Air rate,
and conversely, to
reimburse only the Tac Air
rate
if fuel is purchased at a price higher than
the going Tac Air rate
has passed by a vote of
40 to 7. Buying
10 gallons of avgas at
a rate
fifty cents cheaper
than Tac Air’s
rate
would result in a credit on
your bill for the amount
of the purchase plus
an additional $5.00 rebate.
Buying 10 gallons of avgas at
a rate
fifty
cents more expensive than Tac Air’s
rate would result in only
being reimbursed the
Tac
Air rate. In 2018, this procedure saved
members, roughly $10/hr on the rate
on the airplanes.
Diamond Star - DA-40 N213DS
Checkouts are
available from
CFI’s
who have been
approved by the Club’s Safety Officer. Contact Larry Sward if you
are a CFI or
if you (as a FULL
LFC
member) would like to arrange for your
CFI
to be approved for
DA-40 checkouts.
Printed copies of
the Airplane Flight Manual
(AFM) are available for $15 from our pilot supplies cabinet.
Here is
a PDF
file with more info about
the
bird we bought !
** NEW ** See Club Library section on website tab labeled Members
Area
CFI’s working with LFC
members
Check out the instructors page on
the website. http://www.lexingtonflyingclub.org/Instructors
Archer 01W has a Garmin 430 WAAS-enabled
GPS/Nav/Comm unit
The local
radio
boys offered us a $700 discount
on Garmin
430W hardware; we also
noticed
that 01W was not booked for
a two week period, so we jumped
at the chance to get a timely and frugal
installation of a Garmin 430W in our Archer
now! Here is a link to find
out more about the Garmin
430W ! From here you can also
find manuals, simulators and other free stuff.
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=194&pID=301
Here is a quick reminder
/ tutorial on a unique savings
opportunity that the
club offers to you
As
those hourly rates continue to
skyrocket, here is
a link that we have on
our website,
reminding
potential members about the savings that result because we charge on
the tach NOT the hobbs.
Click Here
AWOS at Richmond-Madison
(I39)
Richmond KY
(Madison) [I39]: October NOTAM
#254 issued by Louisville KY
[LOU]
Automatic weather observing/reporting station
(AWOS) - 3 Frequency: 119.625
Phone Access
859 -
985 - 5969
Phone Numbers
and Frequencies to Use:
Flight Service 800-WX-BRIEF
LEX automated weather: 281-5700
Schedulemaster Reservation
Service 800-414-6114
Schedulemaster Reservation
Service Internet
access: http://www.schedulemaster.com/smlogin.htm
FAA Wings Update – A
Glimpse at the FAA
Safety Program
The FAA has published on the www.faasafety.gov website a glimpse at the updated version of the WINGS program.
The FAA has also published a multi-media tutorial. Click on this link: http://www.faasafety.gov/files/articulate/wings/default.htm
Sign up for notices about Safety meetings
The FAA
has set up a great website where you
can register
to have them send
you emails about safety
seminars in your area.
There are also
many online safety features to review. I’d
like
to see 100% participation in this
program by our members
!!
The address is:
(Except for over-night reservations) - Wait
30 minutes and the bird is
yours
If you are standing
on the ramp on a sunny afternoon and
a bird is just sitting
there begging to be flown, be
aware that the bird can be yours IF the current reservation is 30 minutes old. The Schedule Master computer
will
let
you schedule over the top of a
reservation once 30 minutes
from the start of that reservation
has
elapsed. DO NOT take the
bird without scheduling it however. The phone system
works just fine to make this
kind of "over schedule."
If YOU are the one who booked
the original reservation
and you are simply
running late, be sure to get
on SM before the 30 minutes has
elapsed and cancel and re-book
the plane from the current
time to the end of
the original reservation
period.
EXCEPTION: The SM computer
will
NOT allow scheduling over
the top of overnight reservations; if
you suspect a problem there, it will take an officer to make a decision. If someone has not cancelled
an overnight reservation,
he/she will be liable for a hour of
flying
(2 hours on Saturday
or Sunday).
Track the last flight (that flew on an FAA flight plan) for the birds
of our fleet !
N89652 N6203F N213DS N65641 N3001W N13821
Find out why a bird is
down for Maintenance
Click on this link for a quick tutorial on how to use Schedulemaster to
find out information about why an airplane has been
taken out of service for Maintenance.
Each Maintenance Officer creates a short
message explaining
why the airplane is unavailable.
You can read this
message on Schedule
Master !
Club Operations at the 9/27 Westside Airport Complex (WESTLEX)
We
have moved club operations over to a box hangar and tie-down spaces over on the
9/27 runway. Operations started February
1, 2015 Car access is from the
crash/rescue entrance off Versailles Road.
That road has been named George Gumbert Road. Self Serve fuel is
available (see blue box below). We have a battery powered tug to make it easy
to move birds around. Also, recently purchased is a small air compressor and an
air tank that can be used to inflate tires.
All birds are tied down except the DA-40;
to make room for a bird to be hangered for frosty morning departures.
All fuel purchases will require use of your credit card; turn in
your gas receipts just as if you bought fuel elsewhere.
For a
comprehensive tutorial on changes, check
out this link:
http://www.lexingtonflyingclub.org/content/newsletter/LFC New Hangar
Transition Guide20150125.pdf
( Thanks for
this handy helper, John O ! )
For Questions, or general assistance, please contact Airport Operations: 859.425.3112
Never too bad to fly -- Now Available -- Access
to an ATC 610J Flight Training
Device ( "Simulator"
)
Need an
hour of instrument time for your WINGS level?
Mike Proctor has purchased a totally
refurbished ATC
610J desktop flight training
device. The unit covers
an
area from
Lexington, west
to E-town
and as far northwest as Louisville and Frankfort. It was programmed just
prior to delivery so it has
the latest approaches. Its flight characteristics (flaps, throttle,
prop, mixture) mimic the Piper Arrow. ILS or localizer approaches
are available for LEX, FFT,
SDF,
and LOU. VOR approaches are
available for
all
these airports plus BRY and EKX. ADF
practice is also a feature.
In addition to
WINGS instrument
time, the unit can be used for
up to 20 hours of training towards
the instrument rating
and can be used for all six instrument
approaches, holds, and navigation
required to stay in IFR currency. Cost
will be $40 per hour including CFII signoff
of the time. If you
choose to use another CFII,
the unit will rent for
$20 per hour.
For the time being, Mike will be setting up the unit at home in Richmond.
The FAA requires logging of time in flight simulators (see 61.51
g 4) to be used under instructor
supervision only; not solo.
Keep your personal information up to date on the Scheduling
System
The Internet Interface to the Reservation System
has been modified to allow
you to document vital
statistics on your flying activities
and status. Once you are in
the
system and are looking at
the
schedule page,
you can click
on USER and then click on
CLICK HERE TO EDIT YOUR OWN INFO. There you can update your BFR
and Medical and Insurance Expiration dates.
You can indicate your participation in
the Wings program and
document the dates when you go out of currency
for the 90 day requirement
and IFR. You can also document your total hours,
hours in complex birds, and hours
in the last 90 days. The
system will post a warning
when
you get
close to those expiration dates
as a reminder. Sort of a glorified alarm clock !
The Safety
Officer is going to be monitoring this information and will
be contacting members who have not been
keeping
this
information
up to date. Eventually, we may have to
make this
information mandatory to satisfy an insurance underwriter.
GPS Advanced Simulator CD-ROM available
for our GPS Units
In addition to
the quick reference guides and
entire printed manual and the videotape on
the GPS units; I also got a copy of the revised GPS CD- ROM. This version depicts the rings of
Class B, C, and
D airspace correctly.
You can change heading and
speed and actually fly
instrument approaches
with this version. Contact
Mike
Proctor