"Whether you are inspired to learn how to fly or a seasoned pilot looking for the best way to stay
in the game we are here to help. We give sport aviation pilots FREE weekly articles,
podcast and videos on topics to keep you learning, growing and
staying engaged in the aviation community." ~ TC FREEMAN
"Keeping the Fun in Flying!" |
| Piper Tri-Pacer, source: creative commons |
"Whether you are inspired to learn how to fly or a seasoned pilot looking for the best way to stay
in the game we are here to help. We give sport aviation pilots FREE weekly articles,
podcast and videos on topics to keep you learning, growing and
staying engaged in the aviation community." ~ TC FREEMAN
to the FREE blog and receive,
"5 Ways to Save Money on Flight Training"
ebooklet consisting of excerpts from,
"How to Save Money On Flight Training" ebook.
WingsOfun.com
BLOG #70: December 16, 2014
WELCOME
PILOTS
I
had a great time at the EAA Chapter 8 Christmas party in Walnut Cove, NC this
past Saturday. In addition to spending time with my mentors and friends, it was
great to see all the “rag and tube” aircraft at the grass landing strip. Remember:
It’s the people that make aviation great!
 |
| Von, Dr. Phil and TW Freeman (left to right) |
 |
| Grass strip in Walnut Cove, NC |
A
quick shout-out to Marty Heller for sending this information to me to share
with fellow subscribers about the Unicom/CTAF frequency change at Cape Fear
Regional (Southport/Oak Island, NC):
"Flying to
Cape Fear Regional Jetport (KSUT)? If so, be aware that the CTAF/Unicom changed
on 18 Sept 2014, to 123.05 due to conflicts with surrounding airports with the
same 05/23 runways. NOTAMS, ATIS, Airport Facility Directory and electronic
databases have all been updated on that date. The Charlotte sectional updates
in January."
 |
| Source: http://www.capefearjetport.com/ |
Safe travels.
~TC Freeman
“Keeping the fun in flying!"
********************************************
NEW
PRESENTATION
“PILOT
AND AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE"
********************************************************************
Your opportunity to continue the
dialog is on Facebook:
*****************************************************
WingsOfun
Podcast #007: Interview with John Austin,
Discovery
Place Museum (Charlotte, NC)
Show Notes: Discovery
Place Museum, www.DiscoveryPlace.org,
John Austin – johna at discoveryplace.org
********************************************************
Need a Speaker for your Next Event? We Can Help. See the Article;
Need a Speaker for your Next Event? We Can Help. See the Article;
*********************************************************************
COFESSIONS
OF AN AVIATION SAFETY SPECIALIST
By TC FREEMAN
A flight instructor friend commented to me,
“Isn't it tough being a safety guy?” Guessing that his question was really one
of being constantly scrutinized for safe actions I responded, “I don’t really worry
because I have always wanted to be safe, be it flying or otherwise.” One of the
comments that my father always received about his flying was that he was very conscientious
about safety, and since he is my mentor I try to emulate this positive trait. I
have a confession. I’ve fallen short of the goal of personal responsibility
with regards to safety.
I was having my mid-morning green tea with
the guys from work talking about the issues of the world and what-not. Having a
good view of the runway this spot is a favorite for discussion and airplane
watching. One of the guys commented, “Look at all of those birds circling the
runway,” and we all looked to see about 20 birds overhead. While the runway was
dormant I said, “Do you think we should call the airport authority to send
someone out?” Jokingly, we all responded, “Naaaa!” A couple of minutes later a
commuter jet took-off flying through the group of birds knocking one of them to
the ground. After a collective gasp we notified airport officials about what
happened. It's hard to admit that I let myself become complacent and didn't act
until a bird-strike happened.
Quick sidebar: Airfield managers have
tools such as shotgun blanks, air guns, dogs and hawks to scare birds from the
area.
While the commuter continued successfully
on its journey I knew the ramifications of such an event could have been a lot
worse. In writing this story I was tempted to cross analyze my actions by
blaming it on one of my co-workers, lack of a good night's sleep or poor office
moral. The truth is I let myself down by not being proactive during a
potentially serious situation and taking appropriate action to mitigate the
problem.
I see this complacency happen all over,
from ignoring fire alarms while in a movie theater to drivers being oblivious
to fire-rescue vehicles trying to get to the scene of an accident. The next
time you see a potential hazard take action immediately or you might regret it
for a long time to come. I fell short of the goal to have a positive safety
culture in my organization that starts with no one other than me.
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 a passion for spreading the thrill of flying just for the
fun of it via the website, www.WingsOfun.com.
******************************************************************************
“We
are excited to donate this segment of the Wings fun BLOG to this great program
that promotes; airport visitation, education and tourism.”
~TC
FREEMAN
OPERATION: FLY NC NEWS
The Wilson Industrial Airport (W03) stamp is not available at this
time and a new stamp will be on order shortly.
Stamp NOTAMS (See the previous stamp NOTAMS)
**************************************************************************
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.
(Run time: 34 minutes)
*********************************************************************
NEWS FROM THE WEB
Brought to you by:
HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON FLIGHT TRAINING
eBook
by WingsOfun Media
*INCLUDES SPECIAL CAREER PILOT SECTION!
*INCLUDES SPECIAL CAREER PILOT SECTION!
Contact your elected
officials about the aviation issues that are important to you by visiting: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
OUR
FAVORITE VIDEOS FROM THE WEB ~
Bird Strike Goose Crashes Through Airplane
Windshield
In light of my confession in
this week’s article I thought it
appropriate to show the real
effects of a bird strike.
