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WNC Pilots Association News & Events

The monthly meeting of the WNCPA will be October 21st at the Lacy Griffin building. The program will be Dale Boyer from the AVL Air Traffic Control Tower. There has been some changes to the Minimum Vector Altitudes (MVA) at Asheville and Dale will be happy to answer any question you have about this subject or any others that you have.

Don't forget the Leaf flight that is scheduled for October 18th and 19th on the South ramp at Asheville airport. Tell your friends and relatives to come out and view the beautiful fall colors from a vantage point that most people never get the chance to see.

The meeting for the proposed airspace change will be October 14th at the Lacy Griffin building at 6:30. These proposed changes will impact everyone that uses Hendersonville airport.

For more information visit: www.wncpilotsassociation.com

EAA B-17 Coming to Asheville October 9th - 13th

EAA is offering historic flight experiences in its beautifully restored B-17G Flying Fortress “Aluminum Overcast.” This aircraft is an example of the American heavy bomber that helped turn the tide of battle in World War II. Fly a mission back in time and feel the might of this magnificent aircraft, just as those brave young men did more than 50 years ago.

For more information visit www.b17.org

Fly-in and Open House at the Jackson County Airport (24A) on October 18

There will be an aerobatic demonstration by Greg Koontz at 1:00 PM and Greg will give rides (for a fee) to a limited number of people. Included will be plenty of aircraft from all over the region to inspect, an aviation flea market, food and beverage vendors, airplane and helicopter rides for the public and free flights for Young Eagles. We are looking for pilots with planes to help with the Young Eagles rides. Come out and join us to see all the exciting changes going on at this airport and participate in a great aviation event.

Leading Edge Aviation at the Rutherford County Airport (KFQD) now has a "Frequent Fueler Club"

With every four top-offs of at least 10 gallons each, you earn free lunch at 57 Alpha Cafe, which is conveniently located on the field. Call 828-287-0800 for more details, and visit our website at www.flytoFQD.com

Smoky Mountain Flying Club Newsletter

The latest edition of the Smoky Mountain Flying Club newsletter, Propwash, is now available at http://www.smokymtnflyingclub.com/newsletter.htm

Citabria Training

WNC Aviation has added a 2001 Citabria (fully IFR certified) to their training fleet and will be offering Tailwheel Endorsements, Upset Recovery Training, and Basic Aerobatics. The Citabria will also be available for rental.

WNC Aviation
828.650.6540
www.wncaviation.com

Robinson R22 added to Falcon AirLink

Chief Flight Instructor James McCulloch-Grant and CFII David Donaldson are on their way from Long Beach, CA after taking delivery of N591FA, a 2008 Robinson R22. This will be Falcon AirLink’s third Robinson R22. N591FA will be placed into service at the Greenville facility at KGMU. Be sure to stop in to see this new little beauty and take a flight. Discovery Flights are still only $150, even with fuel prices SKY HIGH! For more details, contact Falcon Airlink - Asheville facility at 828-684-9990 or Greenville, SC facility at 864-250-9990.

Gary Lux - Cessna Certified Factory Authorized Instructor

WNC Aviation CFII, Gary Lux, just got back from Wichita KS where he attended the Cessna Certified Factory Authorized Instructor (CFAI) course. He can conduct the FITS course for new Cessna G1000 aircraft owners as well as the FITS course that is required by many insurance companies for used aircraft purchases.

WNC Aviation
828.650.6540
www.wncaviation.com

New General Aviation Pre-Flight Website

Check out this easy, yet powerful pre-flight planning website: www.navmonster.com

NavMonster.com offers maps, charts, decoded weather, FBO information, fuel prices, winds aloft, and much more in an extremely easy-to-use and uncluttered interface. Best of all, NavMonster.com is 100% free to everyone, and doesn’t even require annoying registrations.

Aircraft Detail Shop Now Open at Rutherford County Airport

Leading Edge Aviation at Rutherford County Airport provides professional aircraft detailing. Your aircraft is handled using the industry's best chemicals and polishes. Full exterior and interior detailing available. Call (828) 287-0800 to schedule or go to www.flytofqd.com for more information.

Encore FBO, GTCR and Platform Partners Complete Acquisition of Landmark Aviation FBOs

Encore FBO, GTCR Golder Rauner and Platform Partners have completed the acquisition of Landmark Aviation’s Airport Services division, consisting of 33 FBOs, from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE). The combined company, which will retain the Landmark Aviation name, consists of 41 FBOs throughout the US, Canada and Europe.

The biggest challenge ahead of the company is integrating its data management platforms across 41 operations and building a 42nd FBO facility in Asheville, N.C., with construction beginning in mid-May.

Falcon Airlink Receives FAA Part 133 External Load Certification

Falcon AirLink (FAL), a locally owned and operated commercial helicopter operator and Part 61 fixed wing and rotor wing Flight Academy, is excited to announce that it has recently been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a Part 133 External Load operator. Chief Pilot Bryan Neal and crew successfully completed a FAA Part 133 External Load Check Ride on April 10, 2008. This much sought after certification is a result of years of hard work and cooperation with our local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). This certificate will enable the Company to do commercial External Load lift work such as fire fighting, logging, construction lifts, and banner towing as well as train others in the art of External Load. The aircraft that are certified to do External Load commercial operations are N105JD, N400XL, and N500ZM. Our Instructors will begin immediately putting together a course outline for an External Load class, as well. Be sure to call to register for a class or for more details on how Falcon AirLink can assist your business, contact our Asheville facility at 828-684-9990 or our Greenville, SC facility at 864-250-9990.

Falcon Airlink Takes Delivery of Second Robinson R22

Chief Flight Instructor Henrik Bjorklund and Flight Instructor James McCulloch-Grant have just returned from a long cross country trip to take delivery of N74343. This is the second Robinson R22 to be added to the Falcon AirLink training fleet. These aircraft are primarily for use in our Professional Commercial Helicopter Pilot class. However, there are a few students who are using these ships for their primary training. The first Robinson to be acquired, N495FA, is based and in use at the Asheville (KAVL) facility. N74343 will be based and used at the Greenville Downtown (KGMU) facility. The acquisition of this aircraft brings the total number of aircraft in the Falcon AirLink fleet to 10. You can call either office to schedule time in an R22 or any of the other trainers by calling our Asheville office a 828-684-9990. www.falconairlink.com

Personal Oxygen Meets General Aviation

WNC Aviation is proud to be Western North Carolina’s first distributor of Oxygen Plus.
Read more...

WNCA Student featured in Aopa Pilot Magazine: Project Pilot

Even though I have been around aircraft all my life, I did not get my private pilot certificate until I was 75. My father taught himself to fly in 1922 so I was exposed to flying my whole life, yet while my father was an instructor, I never took advantage of it until he was gone. I am 78 now and I realize how exciting it must be for my AOPA Project Pilot student John Manos to have earned his certificate.

Quick Facts

Over 48% of all licensed civilian pilots hold instrument ratings; 41% hold Commercial or Airline Transport Pilot certification. In 1999, the FAA estimates, there were 640,113 civilian pilots in the U.S., including 102,000 student pilots, 343 Recreational pilots, 258,749 Private(*) pilots, 124,261 Commercial pilots and 137,642 Airline Transport Pilots. There were an estimated 26,500 helicopter pilots, 19,800 glider pilots, 79,000 flight instructors, 308,951 instrument-rated pilots, and 16,374 pilots holding other ratings.

Two thirds of all General Aviation flight hours involve business, commercial, instructional, and public service operations. In a typical year, General Aviation's 35 million flights account for 76% of all departures, 58% of all hours flown, and 33% of air miles flown annually in the U.S.

About 95% of the active civil aircraft in the United States are General Aviation aircraft. Just 4% are airliners.

Of an estimated total civilian fleet of about 215,000 aircraft, more than 200,000 are General Aviation aircraft.

General Aviation is Safe

While highway accidents account for 94% of all transportation fatalities, General Aviation is involved in less than 1%.

To put aviation safety in another context, here are the odds:

Undergo an IRS audit this year	1 in 100
Be killed in an automobile accident	1 in 125
Be a victim of violence in the suburbs	1 in 2,000
Develop a brain tumor	1 in 25,000
Be killed in a fire this year	1 in 40,000
Be hit by a baseball at a major league game	1 in 300,000
Win a state lottery jackpot	1 in 4 million
Be killed in an airplane accident	1 in 4.6 million

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Quotes

"As a flight instructor students and/or pilots try to kill me or destroy my office every day. So far I have been able to foil them."

"Flying by instruments is like watching a box of kittens. You can't fixate on one because the rest will get out and climb the drapes."

"You can never have too much fuel unless you're on fire."

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."

"When in doubt, hold on to your altitude. No-one has ever collided with the sky."

"There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime."

"Weather forecasts are horoscopes with numbers."

"Flashlights are tubular metal containers kept in a flight bag for the purpose of storing dead batteries."

"The ultimate responsibility of the pilot is to fulfill the dreams of the countless millions of earthbound ancestors who could only stare skyward and wish."

"Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment."

"If you're ever faced with a forced landing at night, turn on the landing lights to see the landing area. If you don't like what you see, turn' em back off."

"Those who hoot with the owls by night, should not fly with the eagles by day."

"Trust your captain but keep your seat belt securely fastened."

"A male pilot is a confused soul who talks about women when he's flying, and about flying when he's with a woman."

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