CASCADE FLYER July 2009, Vol. 09, Issue 7 Website: http://co-opa.com/ President's Message: Aero Facilities partner Kerry O'Neal was our guest for the June meeting and we all thank him for giving a great talk. Topics ranged from the work his company is doing on the northeast side of the airport, to the work the city is doing on the revised hanger use policies and to Bend Real estate in general. A good time was had by all and we hope Kerry can return again as their project takes shape. Ed Endsley is working diligently on the next program so be sure to come early for our July program. Also on the program will be the final preparations for our extended monthly flyout. This month will be an extra special 4 day and 3 night campout in the Idaho back country. Folks will start to gather around 6pm for tall tales. Then join in our world famous potluck at 6:30pm and stay for the ground breaking formal program at 7pm. Calendar: 16 July - Monthly Meeting 17-20 July - Monthly Flyout (camping in Idaho) 14-15 August - 99s Palms To Pines 20 August - Monthly Meeting 21-22 August - Central Oregon Air Show @ Madras 22 August - Monthly Flyout 29 August - OPA Annual meeting @ Albany Air Fair 17 September - Monthly Meeting 19 September - Monthly Flyout 15 October - Monthly Meeting 17 October - Monthly Flyout Web doings: The Northwest Art & Air Festival (NAAF) will return this August 28 to 30. More details on the their website: http://www.cityofalbany.net/parks/nwaaf/ August 29 at the NAAF will also be the annual OPA convention. This is the first year in several that the NAAF has not conflicted with the Central Oregon Airshow so be sure to check it out this year: http://www.oregonpilot.org/convention2009/index.htm To access the members only areas the username is "BDN" and the password is "123.0". My Inbox: We have been hearing news of layoffs at Epic Aircraft and they have cut down to a small crew over there. Lets hope that can weather the current economic crisis and return stronger than ever. Random Thoughts: Turnabout is fair play. Hardly a month goes by when one, or many, of our membership feel compelled to complain to the Bend Bulletin about their airport coverage. So it is with some chagrin that I must report that the Bend Bulletin is challenging the CO-OPA to improve our act. This all started when a few Cimarron City residents threatened to sue the city about noisy aircraft over their residential area. The Bulletin did their homework and reported on the story from many of those involved, including Gary Judd, the Bend Municipal Airport Manager, and even the CO-OPA. In that story, and a later editorial, the Bulletin correctly noted that when in the air an aircraft is only responsible to the FAA and Bend has no jurisdiction whatsoever. Nagging Gary Judd may indirectly nudge a few pilots to do the right thing, but suing the city is a wasted gesture. The Bulletin, in spite of being reminded by several people, neglected to mention that all residents of Cimarron City are required to sign a document acknowledging that they are in an airport environment before purchasing. They knew there would be airport noise when the moved in. Also noted by the Bulletin was that in spite of lacking jurisdiction, the city has maintained a Fly Friendly program to publicize procedures in an attempt the lesson the friction between the airport users and neighbors. You can grab a copy of the latest revision from the city website: www.ci.bend.or.us/depts/urban_renewal_economic_development/docs/FF2Final.pdf The turnabout comes in that the Bulletin charges by name that the CO-OPA, among others, could do better at propagating the Fly Friendly procedures. This month that is just what I shall do. So grab a copy of the brochure and follow along now. Even if you do not really care about the neighbors Gary Judd will appreciate the fewer complaints, and the City Council, soon to annex the airport, will be more receptive to our pleas. Most of the advice is just good piloting and is appropriate at most any airport unless specifically noted otherwise: ? Climb best rate at appropriate power. ? On take-off, fly runway heading until 800' AGL; no turns before end of runway. ? Maintain 1,000' AGL (4,456' MSL) traffic pattern altitude. ? Low RPM recommended while in Traffic Pattern. The 2009 AIM recommendations are a little less specific but clearly in basic agreement. You can check out the relevant AIM section (4-3-3) online: http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/AIM/Chap4/aim0403.html The only clearly local Fly Friendly recommendation is: ? Avoid noise sensitive areas shown on map and area within 2-mile radius of location 7 miles southeast of airport Basically that means avoid Cimarron City to the northeast of the airport and Alfalfa to the east. The previous version was a bit more specific about Alfalfa and it is too bad that was missed in this latest revision. Given the lack of country roads outside of the city limits it is very tempting to use Alfalfa to practice ground reference maneuvers. That leads to a high concentration of lingering operations over their heads and they do not appreciate the noise. Worse yet having so much training in one area is just not safe. So make every attempt to train over less populated areas. I feel much less sympathetic to pilots flying over Cimarron City. For one it is really easy to see the populated area from the air, and for another, if you are flying a proper pattern you should never be overhead that area. In our case we have the happy coincidence that safe procedures, and noise friendly procedures, lead to the same result. At Bend airport all powered airplanes use a left hand pattern and at the same time the helicopters and gliders use a right hand pattern. When runway 16, the calm wind runway, is in use no powered airplanes should be anywhere on the east side of the runway. Cessnas should not mix with gliders or helicopters. It is only when runway 34 is in use that there can be any potential noise conflict. The AIM is silent on how far a downwind leg should be flown from the runway, but if you are flying a nice tight pattern you should easily be west of Cimarron City while on downwind. Except when terrain interferes there is rarely a reason to fly a wide pattern and in anticipation of any engine failure at low altitude a tight pattern ensures you can always reach the runway. The AIM specifies only two ways to exit the pattern, straight out or a 45-degree turn off the crosswind leg. Neither of those, nor any other common departure, will take a departing aircraft over Cimarron City. I guess it is possible that someone might consider exiting the downwind leg at midfield on a 45 to the northeast on a track that would travel over Cimarron City. That runs the risk of turning into arriving traffic on the 45 or base leg and is not a good idea. Continuing the downwind to the base leg before turning east or northeast is both safer and friendlier. A common way to enter the pattern for 34, and the only one mentioned in the AIM, is to enter on the 45 from the southeast. That clearly would be south of Cimarron City. The only reasonable alternative way to enter from the northeast would be a left base entry and when flown properly would be to the north of Cimarron City. There is just no way any safe pattern entry is anywhere over Cimarron City. So to recap, if you are flying a tight standard pattern, and you always should be, then there should never be an issue of excessive noise over Cimarron City. Safe and friendly, all-in-one. If you see someone flying over Cimarron City they are not only causing noise for airport neighbors but they are also flying in an unsafe manner in our crowded airport environment. Gary Miller FLY-OUT FUN....... Gary has described above and Don Wilfong has emailed details of the Johnson Creek flyout for July 17-19. What you may not know is that 2 planes made it for last month's flyout to Chiloquin …. Gary's Cessna 210 and the Bond's Cardinal RG. Ceilings kept us lower than usual and precluded Crater Lake sightseeing but otherwise an enjoyable flight both ways. Melita's food was as appetizing as usual …and you missed the scintillating conversation ….. ! Mike Bond Light Show Cruising to O'Hare Field, Chicago at about 3 AM on a commercial red eye, I saw the most amazing light show. This country boy had heard about "population centers" but hadn't been exposed to the mid west or the eastern US before. There were lights spread across the ground for as far as I could see from thirty thousand feet. Arrayed in a regular repeating rectilinear pattern in a dense constant layer everywhere. A carpet of beautiful pinpoints of light continuing forever… The colors varied but the density did not. It was like swooping over a galaxy spinning through the universe as we banked and turned. Then a flash of explosive proportions, and then another, and another. With every flash of lightning it illuminated clouds all around and the canyons between them that we were flying through. Cumulo humongous clouds were reaching thousands of feet above us. These huge roiling beings looked like obese giants fighting with light sabers. I had a ringside seat to the action and hoped they didn't notice us interlopers. Some bolts were illuminating the clouds from inside and they looked like giant translucent Japanese lanterns formed by a madman. Other bolts were plainly visible throwing light on the faces of these gargantuan piles of vaporous fury. lightning bolts were striking the ground with even brighter light radiating out from where they hit making it look like the Earth was under attack from outer space. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to be in the air or on the ground. Neither option sounded very good at the time. Scotty!!! Beam me up, get me out of here!!! Ed Endsley The following are selections from the City's Fly Friendly brochure: (PDF version only) =================================================================== COOPA officer contact info: President Gary E. Miller 109 NW Wilmington Ave Bend, OR 97701 541-382-8588 gem@rellim.com Vice President --------OPEN---------- Secretary/Treasurer Don Wilfong 210 SE Cessna Dr Bend, OR 97702 541 389-1456 Temp Fly-out Chair Don Wilfong 210 SE Cessna Dr Bend, OR 97702 541 389-1456 wilfong.d@gmail.com Program Chair Ed Endsley 63505 Bridle Ln Bend, OR 97701 541 382-6414 ed@edendsley.com And finally, send Newsletter inputs to Mike Bond 22052 Banff Drive Bend, OR 97702 541 317-8443 mvbond@spiritone.com