WELCOME PILOTS
I wanted to post a few photos of pilots that participated in National Take Flight Day (NTFD). Special thanks to Jonathan Miller (INT) and Ramone Hemphill (Piedmont Aero Club) for sharing. Jonathan took this picture of his Cessna 172 along with ramp-mate, the AT-6. Perhaps there is a new aircraft on the horizon?
The good folks from Piedmont Aero Club took a group down to Rutherford County to enjoy the 57A Cafe for NTFD. I appreciate the nice flyer of information they sent out to bring light to the program. One of the pictures they posted (not shown here) shows members enjoying food and live music on the deck of the cafe. I can't think of a better way to enjoy a day, guitars and airplanes.
Courtesy, Jonathan Miller (INT)
Courtesy, Ramone Hemphill (Piedmont Aero Club @ 57A Cafe)
Due to technical difficulties we are going to delay this weeks Pilot Safety Minute video. We promise to be back next week with a cool video about Operation: Fly NC.
~TC Freeman
Aviation Speaker and Author
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HOW MANY SKILL-SETS CAN YOU JUGGLE AT ONE TIME?
By TC FREEMAN
While not an aviation story directly, my humbling experience of working on a motorcycle this past week had me thinking about (setting it on fire a couple of times...just kidding) how many skill sets a person should focus on at one time and stay safe, sane and efficient? Unsure of a direct solution, I hope you will allow me to play devil's advocate while we explore the issue of multiple skill-sets.
Admittingly cheap, I tend to take on whatever job needs to be done around the house. From updating to Pex (plastic type) pluming, installing “Pergo type” flooring, new brakes for the car, I've done it all, some with good results, others, not so much. Have you had a Chevy Chase moment (Christmas Vacation movie) putting up Christmas lights? As they say, “Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.” I remember being flat on my back asking, “wasn't I just on a ladder a half a second ago?”
An economist would say if you can make more money per-hour than it would cost to contract out the work, get someone else to do it. The exception would be if a person gets a great amount of personal satisfaction by taking on a project outside of his or her primary field. For example, some people simply enjoy mowing their own yard, sure it could easily be contracted out they would miss out on that Zen moment of man (or woman), nature and machine. Despite the economics of the situation, most people tend to take on a diverse amount of skill-sets.
Bent over my motorcycle with wrench in hand and frustration on my brow, I reflected on the question as to where this “do-everything yourself” attitude I possess originated. Not playing the blame-game, I think my father possessed this Method of Operation (MO) when I observed him around the house. Soaking up this influence it wasn't unusual for me to work on my bike as a youth doing such jobs as; patching a tire, greasing bearings or adding new accessories. I don't recall an extreme amount of satisfaction doing these jobs but heck, the bike wasn't going to fix itself.
My father and myself have a difficult time working together on mechanical projects. I guess you might say we it's a clash of frustrations that ultimately prevented us from completing a task with a positive outcome. The joke in the family is that he would frequently send his “helper” on a wild goose-chases for tools. For example, he would say, “it's in the third drawer, on the right, quarter from the back.” Thinking the tool would be easy to find I would race to the tool box and go to the exact location, no tool. Collectively exasperated, we would go on a five room hunting spree for a runaway tool.
In sharp contrast to this MO was my grandfather who wouldn't lift a finger with anything around the house that was mechanical in nature. Some of family even expressed concern with his apparent lack of mechanical aspirations. In his defense, I can recall his passion of constructing inventions. One such invention was a car jack that was designed to be easier to operate and was safer than a standard jack. Ironically, anything outside of building inventions was not entertained. My theory is that my grandfather was wise to realize that he should stick to what he did best and that doing otherwise put his best skills on the back-burner.
When confronted with the economics of the situation, I typically feel like the boy with a bike thinking, “if I don't fix it, it won't get done” or “if you want it done right, do it yourself.” However, just like learning to fly, any new skill requires additional time to become proficient and therefor should be factored into the equation. My grandfather may have been the wisest after all by realizing a professional can fix X-item in a quarter of the time of he could do the same job. Plus, there is less risk of making an expensive repair a very expensive one by botching the job.
It's also important to note the value of learning new things is valuable too. While some might not enjoy learning the nuts and bolts of mechanical devices others relish the opportunity. I would classify the later group as those who get more from the activity than a simple economic advantage. This can be valuable consideration to a pilot that works on his or her own aircraft.
Many people have a false sense of their abilities due to past exposure to a skill in which they have limited total experience. Just because you tiled a bathroom in 1968 doesn't mean you will pick up where you left off. You might call this concept, “dusting off a skill-set” or recency of experience issues as they say in the aviation world. On the converse, who makes a the better pilot, one that works on the aircraft and pilots them or one that has a good textural knowledge of systems but puts the majority of effort into honing their pilot skill level? Many feel humans have much more potential than managing just a few core skills.
This time of year I see many aircraft whisked away from the local airport ramp to go on a holiday trip. Let's say this example pilot flying his or her family down to their new vacation home at the beach. This beach home is undergoing a remodeling by the owners in an effort to bring the home into the 20th century within a reasonable budget. However, while they are “vacationing” the “beach-car” needs a tune-up to have any chance at passing the past due inspection. It's easy to see how a life initially constructed for enjoyment becomes a stress. Imagine the danger while in flight if the pilot is thinking about the re-modeling task rather than flying? A potential solution can be to hire a flight instructor to co-pilot for the trip. This scenario is is based on real life examples of people that I've known over the years, too many toys, not enough time (or delegation). My disclaimer is that the same person may derive pleasure from such activities and more importantly be able to compartmentalize and focus on individual task.
Please don't take this out of context as some sort of anti-materialism rant. In my opinion, having “stuff” is fine as long as it ultimately leads to the satisfaction it was intended. Admittingly, I haven't figured this all out myself, but perhaps we should evaluate what skill-sets should be contracted out in-order to get the intended enjoyment our of our time, effort and money.
About the author:
TC Freeman has been flying since he was a teenager and is now an aviation speaker and author. Being employed as an Aviation Safety Specialist for state government, he has passion for spreading the thrill of flying just for the fun of it via the website, www.WingsOfun.com.
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“We are excited to donate this segment of the WingsOfun BLOG to this great program that promotes; airport visitation, education and tourism.” ~TC FREEMAN
OPERATION: FLY NC NEWS
Discuss OP: Fly NC with fellow pilots at: http://tinyurl.com/opflync
Congratulations to Jay Darmstadter who just completed the bronze, silver and gold level of the Operation: Fly NC program. It's impressive to note that Jay has completed the Maryland and Virginia programs as well! All I can say is, “Look out South Carolina!”
Stamp NOTAMS (See the previous stamp NOTAMS)
*Grays Creek (2GC) The FBO has non-standard hours, please call ahead. We are working on getting stamps for the flight school at this time.
*Laurinburg-Maxton (KMEB) The original NOTAM is invalid due to the Coke machine, where the stamp resided, has been removed. Please note the FBO has non-standard hours. We are working on installing a mailbox or other outside accessible location for the stamp.
*Richmond County Airport, Rockingham (KRCZ) We will contact the airport manager about re-locating the stamp to the unlocked portion of the FBO which has an access code of the numbers one through five.
*Anson County, Wadesboro (KAFP) It's been reported that the stamp is a little light on ink, we will add a stamp pad ASAP. Otherwise the building code access is the unicom frequency.
Upcoming Events: Good for OP: FLY NC stamp/signature, most posted to: www.SocialFlight.com.
*April 26, 2014 (9:00 AM. -- 6:00 PM.) Lexington, NC BBQ Capital Cook-off and Fly In.
Lexington, North Carolina: Davidson County Airport (KEXX). For more information go to: http://flyins.com/events/view-event.html?id=5732
* May 17, 2014 (8 a.m. – 7 p.m.) Fayetteville (FAY) Fly-in, Airport Road, Fayetteville, NC. For more information go to: http://flyins.com/events/view-event.html?id=5816
*May 17, 2014 (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.) IXA Wings and Wheels Fly-in. Halifax/North Hampton County Regional Airport (Roanoke Rapids, NC). Seminars, helicopter rides, Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) rides, food, camping, entertainment and more. More information available on the fly-in facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/1419097265010777/ or by phone at, 252-583-3492.
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IMPORTANT AUDIO PRESENTATION AVAILABLE:
“OPERATIONS AT NON-TOWERED AIRPORTS”… for pilots flying just for the fun of it.
With the issue of sequestration, the shut-down of many Air Traffic Control Towers is a possibility. Regardless, it is important to know how to safely and efficiently operate at Non-Towered Airports. In this audio book TC Freeman discusses; straight in approaches, dealing with aircraft on extended downwind and traffic pattern entries.
Available at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tcfreeman
(Run time: 34 minutes)
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NEWS FROM THE WEB
Brought to you by:
HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON FLIGHT TRAINING
eBook by WingsOfun Media
*INCLUDES SPECIAL CAREER PILOT SECTION!
Available at Amazon.com (click here) or
http://tinyurl.com/lw2s674
*Winston-Salem Fun Fly-in, May 9, 2014 (2 p.m. – 6 p.m.) Coordinated by subscriber Jonathan Miller.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Winston-Salem-Fun-Fly-In/220046331535808
*The FAA introduces the new Airman's Information Manual (AIM); check it out online for free.
http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/media/AIM_Basic_4-03-14.pdf
*WingOfun Call to Action: “Senate Acts On Third-Class Medical Exemption” (AvWeb). A quote from the article from Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, "The FAA has had two years to review this request for an exemption.....Let's get this thing moving."
http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Senate-Acts-On-Third-Class-Medical-Exemption221581-1.html
Contact your elected officials in support of the “expansion of the driver’s license medical exemption to more (non-commercial) pilots. To find your senate representatives go to: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
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