April was a mediocre flying month for Airshare. We totaled 72.9 hours. Let’s hope the better weather is all ahead of us.
Penny and I are enjoying being back in the saddle as far as bookings go. No matter where you go in this world, it’s always nice being home.
We are back in the Angel Flight business. I have done 2 and Silke is scheduled to do one soon. Dave and I, with a couple other Cessnas and 2 Bell Jet Rangers flew 59 children in a COPA for Kids Aviation Day.
We are getting closer to having our own hanger. Paul moved over the Drop box and the desk with the waivers in it. The hanger is gone and all of our equipment is now in the closet on the front left as you look into the hanger. The lock is the same and the combination is the same. Please leave it neat and clean. We now have no reason to go into the other hanger. Soon, Paul will move the other closet and we can park any aircraft anywhere. For now, let’s keep XTW in the rear right space.
A note of caution. Airshare shareholders are the only PIC pilots allowed along with the named Flight Instructor’s. They are Adam Wainwright, Bob Salway, and Michael Langford. These are the only names that should ever be recorded in the aircraft journey logs. We have all let passengers take control so they can get the feel of flying. I’m sure some went on to get their license. However, no one may enter the time in their log books. If they do and Transport ever has reason to verify their time, it will be denied. This could be very embarrassing for them and our insurance may be in jeopardy. So, please do not enter the names of your passengers in our journey logs.
The VOR in HTD appears to be working and not working depending on the day. Don’t count on it. We have investigated replacement and repair. They do not manufacture VOR’s anymore so a replacement may not be any better, and the question arises as to how much is it worth putting into repairs if they only last a few months. Several of us have flown HTD IFR in the past but I caution you about risking your life on an erratic VOR. In XTW, it appears to be the ADF that acts up. Works today but perhaps not tomorrow. We are basically a VFR group with aircraft that may or may not be IFR ready. Check everything before you file but be aware that the instruments may not be working at the other end. I always carry 2 Garmin GPS’s. A 196 and a 495. Talk about redundancy. Although they are not certified they sure are great backups in an emergency.
Summer bookings are not far off. We have been a little relaxed about timings but as high season closes in we will ask you to be more precise in the times. If you are going to cancel, please call as early as you can. If you are planning a trip over 3 days, please let the Board know as early as possible. We will try to be fair to everyone yet take individual requests into account where we are able.
Happy Landings, Penny and Lowell
