Website: http://co-opa.com February 2015, Vol. 15, Issue 2 President's Message: Spooky. I would rather be enjoying Winter, but since nature wants to give us Indian Summer I'll take it. Hopefully many of you have been able to go out and fly in this great weather. Expect more of the same this weekend for our fly-out. Let us all gather at 6pm on the Third Thursday to talk about drones, weather, gas taxes and such. Join our potluck at 6:30pm and stay for our short formal meeting at 7pm in the KBDN Flight Services Building. Calendar: 19 February – Monthly Meeting 21 February – Monthly Fly-out 19 March – Monthly Meeting 21 March – Monthly Fly-out 16 April – Monthly Meeting 18 April – Monthly Fly-out 21 May – Monthly Meeting 23 May – Monthly Fly-out My Inbox: Lots of little tidbits this month. Madras (S33) runway 16/34 will be closed from February 23rd until May 15th. Runway 04/22 will be open, but you may need to call the FBO for AvGas or a ride as the FBO ramp will be closed February 23rd to March 1st. If in doubt, call the FBO: 541-475-4899. Don Wilfong sold his Cessna 182. Congratulations Don. There is a new restaurant on KBDN: The Tower at Bend Airport is now open for business from 7:30am to 2pm Monday to Saturday. It is on the scond floor of the big green Flight Services Building. New Taxes: We all hate taxes, but. Did you know the tax on AvGas has not been raised since 1951 and is a whopping 1 penny a gallon? On JetFuel it is only 9 cents. No wonder the state has a hard time funding airport improvements. FAA grants have decreased from 95% of costs to 90% of costs for infrastructure projects. That means the state and local government match has doubled. The Oregon Pilots Association has been backing HB2075 to raise the AvGas tax to 5 cents and Jet to 13 cents. The proceeds would go to aviation related uses, not the general fund. ODA claims it costs more to collect state pilot and aircraft registration fees than the fees return. With this bill maybe they could be phased out. OPA is also backing another bill on recreational use liability. Currently if a landowner allows you to use his land for hunting, skying, snowmobiling, etc. that you can not sue him for liability. Private airport owners deserve similar protection if they allow you to use their airport. Drones: The FAA finally released their proposed drone rules. Details will surely change before (and after) final rule making but in general it looks good for GA. There are different rules for hobyists, commercial operators and governments. The guidelines (the FAA can't call them rules) for hobbyists: Fly below 400 feet and remain clear of surrounding obstacles. Keep the aircraft within visual line of sight at all times Remain well clear of and do not interfere with manned aircraft operations Don't fly within 5 miles of an airport unless you contact the airport and control tower before flying Don't fly near people or stadiums Don't fly an aircraft that weighs more than 55 lbs Don't be careless or reckless with your unmanned aircraft – you could be fined for endangering people or other aircraft The proposed rules for commercial operations are long, but key points of the proposed part 107 are: Unmanned aircraft must weigh less than 55 lbs. Aircraft Registration required Visual line-of-sight (VLOS) only May not operate over any persons not directly involved in the operation. Daylight-only operations Must yield right-of-way to other aircraft, manned or unmanned. Max airspeed of 100 mph Max altitude 500 ft AGL Operations in Class B, C, D and E airspace are allowed with the required ATC permission The operator must do things like: Obtain an unmanned aircraft operator certificate with a small UAS rating Pass a recurrent aeronautical knowledge test every 24 months. Be vetted by the TSA. Wow, that last one pretty scary? Will pilots need to pass a TSA security check next? For now commercial operators must still file for a “Section 333” exemption request. There is more information on the FAA website: http://knowbeforeyoufly.org January Fly-out: With all the great weather this year, who would have expected out January fly-out to flop? So the faitheful headed to iHop to drown their sorrow in stacks of pancakes and gallons of coffee. February's fly-out should fare much better. Web doings: Check out current and past CO-OPA newsletters, view our membership list and view hot aviation links on our website at: co-opa.com To access the members only areas the username is “BDN” and the password is “123.0” Newsletter Inputs: Send your newsletter tidbits to: