Tornado
Hits Alabama Airport 3-9-19:
AOPALIVE featured a small clip of the total devastation of a small airport
that was hit by a tornado. If you live in the south and you're building
a hangar for your planes, one of the specifications for the hangar should
be "will it withstand a tornado." Or you might spare yourself some money
and play the odds you may not get hit. A well built steel hangar can be
designed for being hurricane proof but tornado proof might be a different
story.
..
ATC Fast
Talking 3-4-19:
AOPA had an article about fast talking atc controllers. Interesting video
with simple logic to ask the controller to say again at a slower rate.
Another problem they didn't mention is "read back." Catching everything
they said and then trying to sound cool with a readback that mirrors the
atc comment can be easier said than done. What's probably more interesting
are the comments under YouTube video location. Unfortunately YouTube is
public like social media and open to anybody who wants to make a comment.
..
Let's
Go Flying Part 2! 2-24-19:
Here's a great complement to the graphic file on yesterdays article. Have
you seen the latest updates on the NOAA prog charts. Here's a embeded Power
Point file that basically turns yesterdays 10 day forecast into prog charts
for the whole United States. The NOAA prog charts goes from Sunday 24 Feb
to Sat 2 March.
..
Let's
Go Flying! 2-23-19:
Thinking of going flying in the next couple of days? Hoping the weather
might be good enough? No need to make a wish. Get the facts at the Skyhaven
Weather page and click on the 10 day graphical forecast. One graph tells
you all you need to know. Snow, rain, clouds, wind speed and direction,
time of day when all this happens. Thinking of going Sunday? 100% chance
of rain that starts the day with snow. Hmm, how about Monday? No rain or
snow, 80% cloud cover, with winds at 25 mph out of west maintaining 18
mph at sunset. One thing I noticed missing from the chart is wind gust.
But with all that information you don't have to be a meteorologist to see
what that might be.
.
Alton
Bay Ice Airport 2-17-19:
If you haven't had a chance to visit the Alton Bay Ice Airport yet, here's
a great panoramic picture sent in by Gus Fish. I believe the minimum ice
thickness for the runway is 12 inches, yet they manage to keep the water
open around the docks. If you're thinking you could leave your boat tied
up to the dock all winter it probably isn't a good idea. Click
on the pic to enlarge. Below the panoramic
is a YouTube video of Brian Pratt landing on the ice runway.
..
EAA 225
February 19, 2019 Meeting Date 2-16-19:
Hello
Everyone, The new date for our meeting will be held this coming Tuesday
evening February 19th at the Skyhaven Pilot’s Lounge. We will have a meet
and greet at 6:30pm with the meeting to follow at 7pm. Regards, Gerry
.
Night
Flight 2-13-19:
Keeping your night flight currency can be down much earlier in the day
compare to summer, but there's the cold and wind to contend with. Taking
videos with a cell phone is not the same as using a camera. Zooming in
and keeping a clear picture is a challenge.
..
Wings
and Wheels at Skyhaven Airport 2019 2-10-19:
Did you see the article in
Foster's Daily Democrat? That's right, we're planning a Wings and Wheels
event this summer here at Skyhaven airport. Be sure to ask about the EAA
Young Eagles Event that offers FREE plane rides to kids. For more information
about Wings & Wheels go to the "Wings & Wheels" click
here. For more informations about past events go to the bottom of this
webpage and click on the "click here" link to visit archived pages that
contain information about past EAA youngs Eagles, Wings & Wheels
and more.
..
Boeing
Delivers First KC-46A Tanker to Altus Air Force Base 2-10-19:According
to KSWO.COM, "Every time you see a KC-46 flying anywhere in the world,
what you need to know is that crew is trained here, for every crew," said
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General David L. Goldfein. "So, Altus is
going to have their fingerprints, just as they have for the KC-135 on every
crew that comes through this base." “We’re
excited to see the Pegasus arrive in Oklahoma, a strong partner to Boeing
and America’s military,” said Boeing Defense, Space & Security
President and CEO Leanne Caret. “We look forward to continuing to deliver
KC-46 tankers to Altus, McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, and New Hampshire’s
Pease Air National Guard Base, throughout this year.”
Cessna
Skycatcher ~ 2-10-19:
In a recent article by Dan Johnson who published a comprehensive list of
various types of sport aircraft like SLSA, LSA, kit built and others, he makes
a note that the Cessna Skycatcher is not on the list because, "Cessna was
omitted after the company ceased selling their Skycatcher and destroyed
all unsold examples." Many articles at the time were written by shocked
editors that reported that Cessna had decided to scrap the remaining inventory
of unsold
Skycatchers. It's been said that somewhere around 50 perfectly good brand
new unused aircraft were literally crushed like a piece of trash including
the engines? I know an FBO that canceled his order for a Skycatcher when
he learned the plane was to be built in China. (Sorry Clyde.)
.
Alton
Bay Ice Airport 2-3-19:
AOPA has another article about the Alton Bay Ice Airport. This unique airport
has grabbed the attention of the AOPA writer that's giving national attention
to the airport. Airport manager Mike Larochelle keeps an up-to-date report
on the runway conditions on his facebook page and must be getting a lot
of hits. Here's
a link to the AOPA article and another link
to the Facebook page. Here's another link
to a special page of articles from 2004 to 2008 when the airport was
maintained by Glen Horne of Ossipee Valley Aviation. Here's a rare photo
of Dan McQue doing a touch-n-go on the ice with a L-39 Albatross.
VFR
In January 2019 2-1-19:
The extreme weather conditions for 2019 continue to make it important to
watch closely the weather forecast. It's a VFR day but the weather is coming
in with snow squalls and high winds. Do you have enough time for a flight?
That all depends how far away the weather front is and what kind of weather
conditions precede it. To answer those questions and more just click on
the Skyhaven weather page and you'll have an answer in less than five minutes.
On the above mentioned conditions it's not usually to have the winds at
the airport to be light and variable with gusts 10 to 15 knots. If the
winds at 3000 are out of the west at 30+ mph you can expect an interesting
ride on climb out.
..
Alton
Bay ice airport opened for the 2019 season on Jan. 22.
1-25-19:
AOPA did an article about the Alton Bay ice airport opening this year.
The airport managed by Paul LaRochelle also has a Facebook page he uses
to give updates of the runway status. The runway was closed for today after
all the rain we received which made a watery mess. Click on the pictures
for more information.
..
The
Super Blood Wolf Moon of 2019 1-22-19:
A total lunar eclipse takes place when the Earth comes between the Sun
and the Moon and covers the Moon with its shadow. When this happens, the
Moon can turn red, earning it the nickname of Blood Moon. Even though Earth
blocks sunlight from directly reaching the surface of the Moon during a
total lunar eclipse, the Moon is still visible to the naked eye because
the Earth's atmosphere bends sunlight and indirectly lights up the Moon's
surface. Here's what the Blood Moon looked like from Skyhaven Airport.
Thanks to Peter Bruckner for braving the elements and getting this great
pick of this special event. The next total lunar eclipse will not light
up the night sky until May 26, 2021.
..
First
Major Winter Storm to Hit N.E. 1-19-19:
Flying
VFR in he winter can be a challenge but with a weather map like the one
shown below it looks like you'll be limited to a few short flights around
the neighborhood and then to settle down to the first winter storm on 2019.
Clicking on the GFA tells the story with a graphic loaded with aviation
weather on one map.
..
Picture
Of The Week 1-11-19:
It seems like many aviation publications and websites (and TV programs)
like to show their "picture of the week" that show the marvels of nature
in the background of an aircraft flying across the sunset, around the clouds
and mountains. If you've been following us here at Skyhaven you have seen
just about all the variations of picture of the week on the Skyhaven website
of planes and nature right here in New England. Here's one of my favorites.
A Skyhawk on floats. The amazing Skyhawk has been written about by many
writers and publications but one of the most comprehensive articles I've
read is at this link.
https://disciplesofflight.com/cessna-172-skyhawk/ Everything you ever
wanted to know about the Skyhawk and more. How about the two guys
from Nevada who flew a Skyhawk non-stop for 64 days, 22 hours and 19 minutes.
..
EAA
225 Holiday Pot Luck Dinner at
Skyhaven Pilot's Lounge 1-04-19:
Hello Everyone, Pres. Todd
Scruton invites members and
friends to our Annual Holiday Pot Luck Dinner, being held at the Skyhaven’s
Pilot Lounge at 6pm on Monday, January 7, 2019. Attendees are encouraged
to bring foods to share (dinner meal items, desserts, finger food/snacks,
or drinks). Please call Pres. Todd Scruton (603-833-0271) if you
are planning to attend and for an update if we are doing a Yankee Swap.
Date: Monday evening, Jan. 7, 2019 Time: 6:00 PM Place: Skyhaven Pilot’s
Lounge. Regards, Gerry
..
Trade-A-Plane
Is 81 Years Old 12-31-18:
Yes,
time changes everything even the cover of Trade-A-Plane. The traditional
yellow paper cover and listings are yielding to the flashy AOPA style aircraft
pictures with unusual background settings. I have to admit, when I do any
research of plane prices I don't pick up the paper copy but instead go
to Google and open the Trade-A-Plane online version. Want to buy a 172-M?
Google it and get Trade-A-Plane and a bunch of others instantly and you
can usually sort the list by date or price.
...
Flying
In The Cold Winter 12-31-18:
Everyone knows about pre-heating your engine in the winter
but there are also winterization kits that some pilots may or may not use.
One little known or talked about item concerns the oil cooler. On a Skyhawk
you can get a kit that covers the air intake opening for the hose that
goes to the oil cooler. Keeping oil at the right temperature operating
range ensures that the moisture from combustion properly vaporizes. The
next time you go fly your Skyhawk on a cold day pay close attention to
the oil temperature. Is it in the middle of the green or at the lower end.
Does your Skyhawk have an oil cooler air intake cover? Sounds like a subject
for hangar talk. But one thing that everyone will probably aree on is that
if the temperature is below freezing you should pre-heat the engine.
L.A.
Speed Story by SR-71 pilot Brian Shul 12-22-18:
Sometime in 2017 articles spread all over the internet about Brian Shul's
"L.A. Speed Story" from one of his books about flying the SR-71. Below
is a popular video that's circulating around the net in various forms for
links to YouTube to people downloading the MP4 movie file. Although the
video is very entertaining I have to say, I can't remember ever asking
ATC for a ground speed. I was taught to verify your ground speed by creating
waypoints using VOR vectors or even land marks on a sectional chart and
a stop watch. Another version of the video is showing Brian Shul on stage
telling the story. He has an amazing story of his career going from almost
dying from burns in a jet fighter crash to retire from the military flying
the SR-71.
.
Skyhaven
Airport Advisory Council Members 12-19-18:
The Council is organized for the following purposes: To provide oversight
and consult with and advise the Pease Development Authority and its airport
manager with respect to the policy, programs, and goals for Skyhaven Airport;
all operations of Skyhaven Airport, including the preparation of its operating
and capital budget; the procurement of services of a fixed based operating
firm; and the use of Skyhaven Airport property. click
here for more information.
Hello
Everyone, The new date for our meeting will be held this coming Tuesday
evening February 19th at the Skyhaven Pilot’s Lounge. We will have a meet
and greet at 6:30pm with the meeting to follow at 7pm. Regards, Gerry
Skycatchers. It's been said that somewhere around 50 perfectly good brand
new unused aircraft were literally crushed like a piece of trash including
the engines? I know an FBO that canceled his order for a Skycatcher when
he learned the plane was to be built in China. (Sorry Clyde.)
winter
but there are also winterization kits that some pilots may or may not use.
One little known or talked about item concerns the oil cooler. On a Skyhawk
you can get a kit that covers the air intake opening for the hose that
goes to the oil cooler. Keeping oil at the right temperature operating
range ensures that the moisture from combustion properly vaporizes. The
next time you go fly your Skyhawk on a cold day pay close attention to
the oil temperature. Is it in the middle of the green or at the lower end.
Does your Skyhawk have an oil cooler air intake cover? Sounds like a subject
for hangar talk. But one thing that everyone will probably aree on is that
if the temperature is below freezing you should pre-heat the engine.
