TFR Notice! - 7-30-08AOPA has sent an email warning about the Kennebunkport TFR:FAA TO ESTABLISH TFRs OVER KENNEBUNKPORT THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AOPA is sending this message to advise pilots in and near Kennebunkport, Maine, that the FAA has issued a notam restricting flight in the area during President Bush's planned visit from Thursday, July 31, through Sunday, August 3. See AOPA Online for a graphical depiction of the temporary flight restrictions (TFRs):

FAA Senior Aviation Medical Examiner ~ 

When Is Your Medical Due? ~ 7-26-08: The answer is, "That depends... ." AOPA has just announced that the FAR's have changed again in regards to medicals. In particular, the "third class" certificate duration has been extended to 5 years? The article goes on to say that the requirement has gone from 3 years to 5 years... hmmmm. Butt, if you just turned 40 or older, none of the announcements count. I believe the FAR that has all this verbiage is 61.23, and if you are 40 and older it is still 24 months. If you have any questions, be sure to give your flight instructor a call to work out the dates.

Hobbs meter vs. Tach time ~ 7-6-08: Everybody knows that tach time runs slower then the Hobbs meter time, but did you know that there's a condition when the tach time is equal to the Hobbs time? According to some articles, when the tach is showing around 2400 rpm it would equal the Hobbs time. Usually, the Hobbs meter starts when the engine starts, but I've seen some cases when the Hobbs started when the master switch is on. Tach timers are used to track operating time for maintenance and billing. For example, most small aircraft engines are overhauled after reaching 2000 tach hours. The Tach timer is connected to the tachometer, which indicates how fast the engine and propeller are turning in revolutions per minute. 

Saving Biddeford Airport ~ 6-28-08: AOPA has another newsletter article about the controversy on city owned Biddeford Airport. It's reported that the fate of the airport is now in the hands of the citizens of Biddeford when a referendum vote comes up in November. It's another sad story about a small airport trying to survive the type of ownership that no longer supports general aviation. Click here for article links: AOPA , Southern Aviator

Congratulations To Mike & Jill Kaichen ~ 6-26-08: When I was at the airport the other evening I found Mike Kaichen giving rides to family members and grandchildren in their recently acquired Grumman Tiger. Both Mike and Jill soloed and earned their private pilots license with Ossipee Valley Aviation. Mike and Jill love the sporty feel of the Grumman and have a love of flying that brought them to build their new home only a few feet from the runway at Littlebrook. Now that's got to be the ultimate garage. Car on one side, airplane on the other. 
 
 

THE NEW TAXIWAY~ 6-9-08 Here are some aerial pictures of the new taxiway. Maybe things will be getting back to normal and the new taxiway will light the way to new  adventures in flying. On final for 15 will never be the same. While I was taking these pics I couldn't help snapping a couple of shots looking towards the northwest with the lakes region area shining in the background. Click on the icon of the new taxiway to checkout the pictures.

TFR OVER Hyannis Effective Immediately 6-9-08: 
The TFR'S are coming back? At least they're not the 60 milers... Here's the scoop on the one at the Cape...
Issue Date :  June 09, 2008 at 1828 UTC - 
Location :  HYANNIS , Massachusetts near MARTHAS VINEYARD VOR/DME (MVY)
Beginning Date and Time :  Effective Immediately
Ending Date and Time :  June 13, 2008 at 2200 UTC
Reason for NOTAM :  Due to safety of flight  - Type :  Hazards 
Replaced NOTAM(s) :  N/A
Pilots May Contact :  BOSTON CENTER (ZBW) Center, 603-879-6655 
CLICK HERE FOR THE FAA WEBSITE (while it's active)
CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE GOOGLE EARTH
 

Taxiway Construction Update! 5-30-08: The full length of Taxiway ‘A’ is now open for use! Greetings, Please see the attached poster for more information.  This project is now substantially complete.  This should be the final user notice poster for this project!  Thank you to everyone for help in getting the word out about the status of this project!
Carol L. Niewola, PE, CM
Senior Aviation Planner
NHDOT/Bureau of Aeronautics
Taxiway Construction Update! 5-28-08: The end of this project is almost here! The full length of Taxiway ‘A’ will receive the second coat of paint on Thursday, May 29, 2008, which may necessitate the intermittent and short-term closure of Runway 15-33 on May 29, 2008. Hydroseeding is ongoing with the last application to occur on Friday, May 30, 2008. The taxiway lights will be back in service on Friday, May 30, 2008. Click on the PROJECT UPDATE icon for more information.
 
 

Taxiway Construction Update! 5-23-08: Taxiway pavement painting is ongoing today (May 23, 2008), which may necessitate the intermittent and short-term closure of Runway 15-33 on May 23, 2008. The new north and central sections of Taxiway ‘A’ will remain closed during the Memorial Day holiday weekend due to the potential for FOD issues. ((FOD {Foreign Object Damage}is an aviation term used to describe debris on or around an aircraft or damage done to an aircraft.))

TFR GOES INTO EFFECT OVER KENNEDY COMPOUND:5-23-08: A notice from AOPA tells pilots flying in the Hyannis, Mass., area are cautioned that a temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in effect from May 22 until Tuesday, May 27. Pilots are urged to check notams before every flight  because the TFR may change with little advance notice." SIZE: 3-nm-radius TFR Surface up to 5,000 feet msl. Click HERE for FAA information.

Taxiway Construction Update! 5-15-08: Future Pavement Closures: From April 28, 2008 to May 23±, 2008, the existing skewed taxiway will be closed and ALL taxiing to the runway will need to take place via the South Section of Taxiway ‘A.’ Runway 15- 33 will be CLOSED on May 16, 2008 from very early in the morning through the afternoon for paving near the runway. Click on the PROJECT UPDATE icon for more information.

Mooney At The Pumps~ 5-13-08 I read somewhere that the average age of the general aviation fleet is over 30 years old. I'm not sure what that means, but as far as aircraft go, the durability and care given to these aircraft is nothing short of awesome! Check out this beautifully maintained 1968 Mooney base here at Skyhaven. Dale Hardy tells me that he just had it painted. Unlike automobiles, the style of aircraft just seems to never get outdated. Click on the Mooney in this article to see a couple of pics of this fine aircraft that looks like it just came from the factory.

Taxiway Construction Update! 5-12-08: Future Pavement Closures: From April 28, 2008 to May 23±, 2008, the existing skewed taxiway will be closed and ALL taxiing to the runway will need to take place via the South Section of Taxiway ‘A.’ Due to an unanticipated construction delay, it’s expected that Runway 15-33 will be OPEN during the week of May 12, 2008. Click on the PROJECT UPDATE icon for more information.
 

Taxiway Construction Update! 5-09-08: Future Pavement Closures: From April 28, 2008 to May 23±, 2008, the existing skewed taxiway will be closed and ALL taxiing to the runway will need to take place via the South Section of Taxiway ‘A.’ On May 13±, 2008 and May 16±, 2008, Runway 15-33 will be closed on those two days to allow for paving to take place near the runway. Personnel and equipment continue to work near Runway 15-33. Click on the PROJECT UPDATE icon for more information.

Taxiway Construction Update! 5-08-08: Future Pavement Closures: From April 28, 2008 to May 23±, 2008, the existing skewed taxiway will be closed and ALL taxiing to the runway will need to take place via the South Section of Taxiway ‘A.’ On May 12±, 2008 and May 15±, 2008, Runway 15-33 will be closed for those days to allow for paving to take place near the runway. Click on the PROJECT UPDATE icon for more information.
 
 

Dirt Piles and Windsock ~ 5-3-08 - The segmented circle and windsock are in their new location at the east side of the runway. Although there's some pretty high mounds of dirt near the ramp, the taxiway around runway 15 is starting to take shape. Click on the dirt pile to see some pics from 50J.

Got Gas? ~ 4-27-08 - Well, at the rate fuel prices are rising it would appear that gas will become more valuable than gold. The ripple effect created by the high cost of fuel is rolling across the country and affecting everything. Even the so called, "boutique" fuels, like avgas can't escape the arrows of inflation from the oil industry. At $5.20 per gallon,  you might want to revisit the operators manual on a more economic fuel setting.

Taxiway Construction Update! 4-26-08: On April 28, 2008, Runway 15-33 will be closed for one day. From April 28, 2008 to May 16±, 2008, the existing skewed taxiway will be closed and ALL taxiing to the runway will need to take place via the South Section of Taxiway ‘A.’ On May 7±, 2008 and May 14±, 2008, Runway 15-33 will be closed for those days to allow for paving to take place near the runway. Click on the PROJECT UPDATE icon for more information.
 

Darter Gets Fuel ~ 4-19-08 - Another rare bird drinking some fuel at the fuel farm. Ever hear of a North American Rockwell 100 Darter Commander? The aircraft pictured here is kept at Limington-Harmon airport by its owner Bill Newsom. Bill was kind enough to let us take a few pictures of this rare aircraft and mentioned it is a 1969 model 100 which happens to be the last year the aircraft was made. Click on the aircraft for more pics. Click here for a link to a site with more info on the Darter..

TFR For The Pope! ~4-19-08 -  AOPA sent an email message to advise pilots in and near New York City that the FAA has issued notams restricting flight in the area during the Pope's visit from Friday, April 18, through Sunday, April 20. Check out these AOPA links. about the TFR:
( http://download.aopa.org/images/misc/popetfr.jpg ).
( http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/notams.html#ny ). 
Check out this seven page advisory...
( http://download.aopa.org/epilot/2008/pope-advisory.pdf ).
So, will there be any incursions? And if there is, will they use F16's to intercept? Probably not. The TFR is inside of the New York class B airspace...

Taxiway Construction Update! 4-18-08 Construction of the North Section and Center Section of Taxiway ‘A’ is on-going. Future Pavement Closures: During the week of April 28, 2008, Runway 15-33 will be closed for one day to allow construction activities to reconstruct the existing stub taxiways’ connections to the runway. Click on the PROJECT UPDATE icon for more information.

Dr. Peter Richards Dies Suddenly 4-9-08 - Our deepest sympathy goes out to the family of Dr. Peter Richards who many pilots used to go to for the aviation physical. Glen tells me that he died suddenly I believe it was Tuesday, while he was in Florida. Click on his business card shown here in this article to enlarge.

Sanford CTAF is now 123.075~ 4-7-08 - I just received an email from Jim Dubois of a forward email from the airport manager of Sanford Airport. For some reason, the town of Sanford requested the CTAF frequency be changed from 122.8 to 123.075. It was like one of those pop-up TFR's. One day it's 122.8 the next day (March 25) it was 123.075. So in this case, having an up-to-date sectional and checking the AFD is not enough. Should you check the NOTAMs before every flight? Of course... but even if you printed out the new DUATS "D" notam format you might of missed the separate "Communication" notam that listed Sanford with the new CTAF frequency. CLICK HERE to see the airport managers email.